Weinan: Stele

CHINA, Shaanxi, Weinan; Northern Wei dynasty

The stele was discovered in the town of Guapo in Weinan in 1959. The top section is broken and there are slight damages on all four sides. The picture shows the front and back, with each containing three main niches and smaller seated figures surrounding some of the other surfaces. The lower niches have a decorated ogee lintel and contain Buddha pentads consisting of a Buddha and flanking Bodhisattvas and disciples. The two higher niches contain triads in a narrower setting, and are filled with a seated Buddha and two attendant Bodhisattvas. Inscriptions at the very bottom contain the names of the people who commissioned the artwork, with Zhu Heinu as the main sponsor. The style of the stele is reminiscent of the late Northern Wei dynasty (386–534).