Seated Buddha

CHINA; Northern Wei dynasty

The Buddha sits cross-legged with the right hand raised in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra and the left grasping the end of the monastic robe. An inner robe leaves the right shoulder bare and the loosely draped outer robe, incised with thin flowing lines, falls to cover the figure’s knees.
The figure sits on a Sumeru throne guarded by lions at its foot. The four-legged stand beneath is decorated with two figures in the front. There is an inscription on the back stating that Yang Sengchang dedicated the statue in 484 with the wish to be reborn in the Pure Land and eventually attain enlightenment. Two tenons placed vertically on the back of the statue originally secured a mandorla.