 |
Kongwangshan: Stele
|
| |
|
Kongwangshan: Stele
CHINA, Jiangsu, Lianyungang; Eastern Wei dynasty (534–550), dated 543; Marble; H: 20 cm; Lianyungang Museum, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China
The sculpture was discovered on Kongwangshan in 1961. Bas-reliefs on each of the stele’s four sides include a seated Buddha and three Bodhisattvas. At the bottom is a platform resting on a double-petaled lotus pedestal. The Buddha figure wears monastic robes with wide sleeves that conceal the hands. An almost rectangular aureole and petal shaped nimbus is incorporated into a plain mandorla. The crowned Bodhisattvas on the other stele faces wear monastic robes and are distinguished by their mudras. On the base is an inscription dating the work to 543. |
