Portable Shrine

CHINA; Tang dynasty

The wooden shrine has three panels. The two outer panels are attached to the middle panel and fold inwards so that the shrine is portable. In the middle panel, there is a carving of a Buddha seated in the lotus position on a lotus throne with a Sumeru base performing the dhyana (meditation) mudra. He has a round nimbus and a mandorla and wears a trefoil crown with two silk ribbons hanging down to the shoulders. A robe covers the left shoulder and he is adorned with a necklace, armlets, and bracelets. The Buddha is surrounded by ten Bodhisattvas with apsaras in the top corners and a child at the bottom.
The side panels are carved symmetrically in three registers. The upper registers have a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, and in the middle registers, there are two Bodhisattvas standing on inverted lotus pedestals. The lower registers have depictions of Vajrapanibalin standing in dynamic postures.