Maitreya Buddha

CHINA; Tang dynasty

Maitreya is seated upon a Sumeru throne with two lotus rising from the base to support the figure’s feet. Behind the head, a lotus nimbus is framed against the flaming mandorla that creates the back of the throne. The damaged right hand may originally have been in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. The figure wears a monastic robe with long, loose sleeves, beneath which is an inner robe that covers only the left shoulder. A thin skirt through which the legs are clearly visible laps over the throne in realistic folds. The inscription on the base identifies the statue as Maitreya and records that this and two accompanying Bodhisattvas were dedicated by the disciple Yan Zong and his family in 705.