Previous Image | Main Gallery | Next Image

israel

11. Stele with Buddha Sakyamuni and two bodhisattvas
Henan Muscum, Zhengzhou, Henan Province
Sui dynasty, 581 - 618 CE
Stone
height 190 cm, width 100 cm

Stele with Buddha Sakyamuni and two bodhisattvas

The seated figure of Buddha Sakyamuni is carved in smooth lines, which contrast with the elaborate halo framing his head. His unadorned long-sleeved robe falls in elaborate pleats over the simple plinth.

Buddha is flanked by his two main disciples, Ananda and Kasyapa, which are depicted on a far smaller scale. The upper part of the stele is carved with lotus flowers, whose petals droop down in a bell shape. Small meditating Buddhas are seated on some of the lotus flowers.

An inscription on the back notes that more than sixty donors, headed by Xun Gouchou, commissioned the stele and dedicated it in the second month of the second year of Kaihuang (582 CE) in the Sui dynasty.

Henan Museum, Zhengzhou, Henan Province


Detail: upper part of the stele

Detail: Buddha

all text & images © The Israel Museum

Previous Image | Main Gallery | Next Image