Shijiazhuang: Bodhisattva and Attendants

CHINA, Hebei, Shijiazhuang; Northern Qi dynasty

This sculpture was found at Shijiazhuang with traces of golden paint on some parts. It depicts a Bodhisattva, two disciples, and two attendant Bodhisattvas. The crowned Bodhisattva at the center stands on an inverse lotus pedestal. A large beaded ornament falls to meet in a flowered medallion over the monastic robe and curve downward on either side of the skirt. The two disciples, one now headless, and the two attendant Bodhisattvas, stand with palms joined in reverence. Behind the figures is a petal-shaped mandorla, with a pagoda at the top supported by a warrior. Apsaras line either side of the mandorla and are united by a large beaded ornament similar to the one the Bodhisattva wears.
A mountain censer guarded by lions is in a niche on the base. The base is supported on a rectangular block with a 470-character inscription recording the year 570 and identifying the villagers from Jiatong as the donors of the sculpture.