Pagoda Tier

CHINA; Eastern Wei dynasty

These reliefs are found on a single tier of a stone pagoda. The front depicts a Buddha seated in a niche and accompanied by two standing Bodhisattvas. Beyond the central niche are warriors with lions below them and a child holding an incense-burner. The Buddha’s floral mandorla uniquely continues into the ogee arch lintel and fuses with its pattern.
The left side of the pagoda tier shows a Bodhisattva seated with ankles crossed under a curtained canopy. The outer robe distinctly passes through a ring at the front of the body. The figure is supported from below by a warrior and flanked by two monks, one young and one elderly.
King Asoka makes a sand offering on the right as children pay reverence on his left. Two monks standing outside the niche are sculpted in low relief. These two figures offer flowers while apsaras fly above.
The back panel depicts the Buddha’s passing into parinirvana surrounded by mourning disciples. Above the niche a monk is seated in meditation.