Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts

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Maitreya Buddha

CHINA; Northern Wei dynasty (386–534), dated 472; Stone; Shanghai Museum, China
Maitreya is depicted with hands most likely in the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra and seated on a bench with ankles crossed. He wears a thick roughly carved monastic robe with folds that covers both shoulders. The facial features are simplistic and marked by very thick eyebrows and lower lip. The mandorla is filled with abstract patterns and encloses a lotus nimbus. There are pictorial carvings dated to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) that illustrate the Life of the Buddha and Jataka tales on the reverse of the nimbus.

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