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Yunyan Temple Pagoda: Buddha Triad
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Yunyan Temple Pagoda: Buddha Triad
CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Song dynasty (960–1279); Copper alloy; H: 19.2 cm; Suzhou Museum, Jiangsu, China
This complex piece was discovered in 1956. The triad is supported by a lotus plant rising from the base. A seated central Buddha appears on a blooming flower, flanked by two standing Bodhisattvas. Their flaming nimbuses are joined at the top to form an encompassing openwork mandorla. The Buddha wears monastic robes and holds his open right hand away from the body. The sinuous Bodhisattvas are symmetrically positioned, and long stoles fall the length of their bodies to overlap the lotus plant. The Bodhisattva on the left carries a vase in one hand, while the other steadies the fall of a diagonal bead ornament at the hip. |
