Stele

CHINA; Northern Qi dynasty

Great attention was given to integrating the decorative elements of this stele into the overall design. The top register depicts Maitreya Buddha seated between the trunks of dragon trees whose foliage creates the curving top. Disciples and Bodhisattvas standing on lotus pedestals flank the Buddha. Vimalakirti and Manjusri sit on separate thrones in the middle register, with the audience to their debate between them. A decorative lintel encloses the Buddhas Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna, seated side by side in the lower register.
A tower with two Buddhas inside is floating above a canopy on the reverse side of the stele. Dragons and apsaras with stoles fluttering behind them guard the tower. A Bodhisattva is in contemplation beneath the canopy, with disciples, other Bodhisattvas, and Dharma protectors on each side. The scene below the tower takes place under trees in a landscape of hills. Two niches with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are inset into the environment. A Bodhisattva contemplating beneath two trees while accompanied by eight other figures occupies the third register. Below this is an inscription that states that the stele was dedicated in the year 575.