Longhua Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva
Gilt bronze
Longhua Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva
CHINA, Shandong, Binzhou; Northern Qi dynasty
In 1983, this decorative piece was found at the site of Longhua Temple. It depicts Maitreya Buddha seated with ankles crossed and hands probably in the abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. The figure wears an ornate headdress and stoles that fall below the feet.
The large mandorla is shaped like a lotus petal and joined to the statue by two tenon joints. There is an ornate nimbus and aureole within the mandorla that are surrounded by an outer rim of flame-like patterns. A pagoda is located at the tip of the mandorla, while apsaras fly downwards along the edges with their robes trailing behind them. An inscription on the rear dates the statue to 564 of the Northern Qi dynasty and names Kong Zhaoti as the person who commissioned the work.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M, page 616.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Lovelock, Yann and Chou, Yuan and Huntington, Susan and Edson, Gary and Neather, Robert,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture G-M},
pages = 616,
title = {{Longhua Temple: Maitreya Bodhisattva}},
volume = 11,
year = {2016}}