Pagoda Sculpture

CHINA; Tang dynasty

Built in a multi-tier style, the structure has five tiers that taper upward to a damaged spire, which once rose in stacked rings. Each tier is separated by corbels and the sides at the front are decorated with arched niches. Apart from the larger niches on all four sides of the first tier, the other tiers feature low reliefs of a meditating Buddha seated on a lotus. A Buddha triad niche is carved in mid-relief at the front of the first tier. The main figure there sits with legs pendent and feet resting on lotuses. The attendant Bodhisattvas stand on Sumeru pedestals, with the hand nearest the Buddha holding up their attributes. An inscription found under this niche describes the construction of the pagoda.