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Standing Bodhisattva
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Standing Bodhisattva
CHINA; Eastern Wei dynasty (534–550), dated 534; Gilt bronze; H: 20.5 cm; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom
This votive statue, according to an inscription, originated from Tangxian in Hebei and dates from 534, the year when the Eastern Wei dynasty began. This date makes it a very rare example of devotional image from this era. It is supported on a double four-legged stand, and the figure is incorporated into a mandorla incised with flame patterns. An intersecting triple-rimmed aureole and nimbus are around the figure beyond which protrudes the long lotus stalk carried by the Bodhisattva. The figure wears a lotus-shaped headdress and a long garment that consists of ruffled layers eventually falling below the pedestal. |
