Buddha and Attendants
Limestone
Buddha and Attendants
CHINA; Northern Wei dynasty
The Buddha sits in full lotus position and likely forms the abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. The figure has an elongated face and a thick neck. A monastic robe covers both shoulders. The folds of the garment cascading down the front of the seat. The two attendant Bodhisattvas are smaller and each is paired with a Dharma protecting lion below their pedestal.
The yellow and green paint on the robes of the figures is still bright, but most of the mandorla has faded with only a trace of the nimbus visible. The front of the base has carvings of donors but they have also worn away. An inscription dates the sculpture to 513, and states that a hundred people participated in its creation.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture A-F, page 194.
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 A-F},
pages = 194,
title = {{Buddha and Attendants}},
volume = 10,
year = {2016}}