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Stele
CHINA; Eastern Wei dynasty (534–550), dated 535; Commissioned by Wei Bosheng; Sandstone; H: 96.5 cm; British Museum, London, United Kingdom
The tapered stele is divided into three sections on each side. The top section is a lintel depicting apsaras surrounded by fluttering stoles. The Buddha in the scene at the center is seated within a niche, flanked by Bodhisattvas. The Buddha 's hands are in the conventional abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (wish-granting) mudras, and the hem of his monastic robe spills over the throne in decorative folds.
The inset at the bottom shows an eaved pavilion, in which the wise layman Vimalakirti debates with Manjusri Bodhisattva. The worn inscription on the right is indecipherable.
The two sides of the stele feature inset Buddhas with scenes from lay life and inscriptions roughly carved into the surface below them. One of the inscriptions dates the stele to 535 and names Wei Bosheng and his family as the donors. |
