Sakyamuni Buddha and Eighteen Arhats

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

This sculpture comprises Sakyamuni Buddha, his two chief disciples, and Eighteen Arhats. The Buddha, with blue hair, is seated in full lotus position at the center. The Buddha wears a monastic robe that leaves the right shoulder bare and makes the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra with his right hand. The disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, stand directly beside the Buddha holding a staff and an alms bowl. The Four Heavenly Kings are located in a row at the bottom while the remaining figures are the Eighteen Arhats. Each figure sits upon a lotus connected to a stalk. The whole composition is contained within a hollow mandorla shaped like a lotus petal with fern-like motifs decorating the rim.