Stele
Limestone
Stele (back)
Stele
CHINA; Northern Wei dynasty
The artist has paid particular attention to the decorative elements of this stele. The bodies of a pair of stylized dragons form the curved top. Beneath them in a square inset is the story of the nine nagas bathing Prince Siddhartha at his birth. A tendrilled surround below encloses two rows of seated Buddhas, beneath which is a throned Buddha in an arched niche. Disciples, Bodhisattvas, and a pair of Dharma-protecting lions flank the Buddha. Images of apsaras and warriors are included in bands at the side. Framed reliefs of figures making offerings on either side of a mountain censer are at the bottom of the stele, followed by scenes from everyday life.
Beneath these images is an inscription that dates the stele to 529. The stele was commissioned by some 50 villagers and dedicated to the emperor and fellow villages according to the inscription. The overall style of the art suggests it could have originated from Henan.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Sculpture St-Z, page 1157.
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 St-Z},
pages = 1157,
title = {{Stele}},
volume = 13,
year = {2016}}