Buddha Triad

CHINA; Eastern Wei dynasty

The sculpture consists of a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas standing on lotus pedestals in front of a petal-shaped mandorla. The Bodhisattvas stand on pedestals that are connected to stalks spewed from the mouths of dragons.
The Buddha forms the abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras. The Buddha wears a monastic robe with a low-hanging collar that covers both shoulders. The Bodhisattvas wear ornamental headdresses with long ribbons that hang to the shoulders. Their robes drape the body and cross at the abdomen. All three figures have nimbuses of lotus petals. There is a seated Buddha accompanied by six apsaras at the apex of the mandorla. The apsaras have long flowing stoles and hold musical instruments.