Qinshui: Stele

CHINA, Shanxi, Qinshui; Northern Wei dynasty

The stele has four sections. The top is decorated with intertwined dragons that have facing phoenixes perched on their back. Beneath this are three rows of five seated Buddhas in shallow niches, representing the Thousand Buddhas. Running down the edge are tendrilled extensions of the dragons’ claws from above.
At the center of the stele is a larger niche with a dragon forming the lintel. Inside this is a Buddha triad bounded by the same tendrilled decorations. A flaming mandorla frames the Buddha and the folds of his garment cascade over and merge with his throne. Bodhisattvas paying reverence stand on either side upon pedestals decorated with tendrils on the left and petals on the right. Directly beneath are stylized deer flanking a mountain censer. Before it are kneeling patrons within pavilions with servants holding parasols behind them.
The back of the stele also features twin dragons at the top as well as a seated Buddha, flanked by apsaras and warriors. The bottom half and the sides contain an inscription stating that the artwork was jointly commissioned by the Lu clan of Shuiduiquan Village. The decorative elements and stylization, so different from the usual Buddhist conventions, suggest that the artist was influenced by local non-Chinese culture.