Votive stele of Shakyamuni Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas, circa 0545 ::

Details

Other Titles: Buddhist stele
Standing Shakyamuni Buddha flanked by two Bodhisattvas
Place where the work was made: China
Period: Eastern Wei 534 - 550 → Northern dynasties 420 - 589 → China
Date: circa 0545
Media category: Sculpture
Materials used: limestone
Dimensions: 61.0 cm
Signature & date: Not signed. Not dated.
Credit: Purchased 1988
Location: Not on display
Accession number: 128.1988
Copyright: Reproduction requests
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About

‘With his right hand raised in the ‘abhaya mudra’ and the left in the ‘varada mudra’, Shakyamuni Buddha stands flanked by the two bodhisattvas, probably Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta. Carved in high relief on the halo are celestial musicians and a pair of ‘apsaras’ (celestial beings) that support an image of the seated Buddha, possibly Prabhutaratna, the Buddha of the past, who vowed to be present whenever the Lotus Sutra was invoked. The stele is carved from an exceptionally fine-grained limestone similar to that used in a large group of recently discovered 6th-century Buddhist sculptures from the Qingzhou region of Shangdong province. The quality of the stone allowed for a high degree of refinement and meticulous detail in the carving, making this an especially fine and beautiful example of early Chinese Buddhist art.’

‘The Asian Collections: Art Gallery of New South Wales’. pg.92
© 2003 Trustees, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Places

Where the work was made

China

Exhibition history

Shown in 4 exhibitions

Buddhist Art from the Collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 06 May 1995–10 Sep 1995
Buddha: Radiant awakening, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 10 Nov 2001–24 Feb 2002
Conversations through the Asian collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 25 Oct 2014–13 Mar 2016
Walking with gods, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 01 Jun 2019–05 Jan 2020

Bibliography

Referenced in 7 publications

Edmund Capon, Look, 'Standing Buddha', pg. 9, Heidelberg, Oct 1998, 9 (colour illus.).
Steve Meacham, The Sydney Morning Herald, 'Object of desire', pg. 24, Sydney, 08 Jan 2007, 24 (colour illus.).
Jackie Menzies, Asian Collection Handbook, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 'Introduction', pg. 9-17, Sydney, 1990, 12 (colour illus.).
Jackie Menzies (Editor), The Asian Collections Art Gallery of New South Wales, China 'Buddhist Art', Sydney, 2003, 92, 93 (colour illus.).
Jackie Menzies (Editor), Buddha: Radiant awakening, Sydney, 2001, 159 (colour illus.), 188. cat.no. 117
Jackie Menzies, AGNSW Collections, 'Asian Art - India, South-East Asia, China, Tibet, Korea, Japan', pg. 173-228, Sydney, 1994, 191 (colour illus.).
LIU Yang, Orientations, 'The Discovery of Mass: A Footnote to the Stylistic and Iconographic Innovation in Chinese Buddhist Sculpture', pg. 88-95, Hong Kong, Sep 2000, 89 (colour illus.). fig.2

Provenance

Klaus Naumann, Apr 1988, Tokyo/Japan, purchased by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 1988.