Baima Temple: Seated Bodhisattva

CHINA, Henan, Luoyang; Eastern Wei dynasty

This statue was originally located in the Baima (White Horse) Temple in Henan.
The slim figure, with a disproportionately long upper body, is seated on a square throne. A high headdress ornamented with a fan-shaped design rests atop the Bodhisattva’s centrally parted hair. While the left hand is missing, the right hand holds the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. Below the elongated neck, a stole is fastened with jeweled ornaments at the shoulders and falls to thread through a circlet at the waist, continuing downward over the seat. The seat itself is covered by the figure’s long skirt, which is carved in a decorative manner and is overhung by the right foot, rendered in bas-relief.