Qiji Temple: Buddha Triad

CHINA, Shandong, Qingzhou; Northern Wei dynasty

This sculpture was unearthed from Qiji Temple in 1994 and has been repaired. Most of the original painting is well-preserved. All three figures stand on interconnected lotus pedestals. The Buddha’s monastic robe opens at the front to reveal an inner robe secured with a bow. The left hand is open in varada (wish-granting) mudra while the right hand is missing. The two Bodhisattvas wear stoles that loop through a ring at the waist and are secured by the right hand. The Bodhisattva’s identifying attributes are in their left hands.
All three figures have lotus nimbuses that are surrounded by radiating circles. An additional foliated rim that is supported by apsaras is about the Buddha’s nimbus. The apsaras’ fluttering draperies merge into the flame pattern that fills the mandorla enclosing the group.