Wanfo Temple: Bodhisattva and Figures Making Offerings

CHINA, Sichuan, Chengdu; Southern Liang dynasty

The piece was discovered in 1954 and was most likely the pedestal of a larger sculpture. The figures are carved in relief and depict Bodhisattvas flanked by devotees, all making offerings. Of the nine figures visible, the Bodhisattvas stand out in prominence with their height and their heads surrounded by nimbuses. Stoles wind about their shoulders and arms and they stand with arms and hands posed. The smaller figures in the background include both male and females with their hands holding offerings or joined in reverence. The sculpture is unconventional since it was an earlier work and most of its elements probably reflect the art style of the region.