Stele with Shakyamuni and Maitreya
Date: 550-577
Heavenly rebirth, as foretold in Buddhist sutras, is the subject of this Chinese Buddhist stele. On the front, a ring with redeemed souls seated on lotus blossoms surround the full, round head of the preaching founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni (lived in India about 565-486 bc). On the back, Maitreya, Buddha of the Future, is shown as a ruler of a celestial paradise. The blissful expressions on all of the figures in the sculpture make the religion’s promise both seductive and real. The remarkable condition of this work, which still has much of its original paint, suggests that it was buried by pious believers, possibly during the persecution of Buddhists in 845 ad, and left in the protective care of the earth for centuries.
The Cleveland Museum of Art
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