NORTHERN WEI DYNASTY (AD 386-534), DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO AD 457

The exceptional and important stone stele belongs to a small group of Northern Wei Buddhist stone steles depicting the Buddha with acolytes on one side and scenes of the Buddha’s life on the reverse. The upper frieze depicts the Buddha being born from his mother’s side. The lower frieze depicts the Buddha’s bath, showing the Buddha standing facing forward surrounded by two kneeling serpent kings, each intertwined by serpents that wrap around the king and writhe above his head. To the right of this scene is a depiction of the Buddha’s first steps.

The imagery derives from Indian prototypes. Compare, for instance, a Kushana-period stone sculpture of the Buddha’s first bath, 2nd century AD, in the Government Museum, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India, where the Buddha is similarly depicted flanked by serpent kings. In the Kushana example, the serpent kings are not shown accompanied by serpents, as they are in the present sculpture.

A similar but slightly smaller stone stele of Buddha, also dated to AD 455 of the Northern Wei dynasty, is illustrated by Jin Shen in Hai wai ji Gong Yai cang li dai fo xiang: zhen pin ji nian cu jian (Catalogue of Treasures of Buddhist Sculpture in Overseas Collections including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Shanxi, 2007, p. 3. The reverse of this stele is carved with four friezes depicting the latter part of the Buddha’s life ending with the Buddha’s death, or parinirvana, while the present stele depicts the earlier part of the Buddha’s life beginning with the Buddha’s birth. Also illustrated, p. 10, is another stone stele of Buddha, dated to the Northern Wei dynasty AD 472 of the Northern Wei dynasty also depicting friezes of the Buddhas life on the reverse and is in the collection of the Museum Yamata Bunkakan.

The decoration on the plinth on the front of the sculpture also derives from Indian prototypes, such as the red sandstone Kushan-period example dated to AD 82, depicting a seated figure of Buddha flanked by attendants in the Kimball Art Museum, AP 1986.06. On the present sculpture, the relief panel on the throne is carved with two attendants standing on either side of a simplified pillar surmounted by a wheel, which is then flanked by two lions in either corner, all symbolizing the Buddha’s teachings and royal heritage. The relief panel on the Kimball example is carved with similar decoration, except the pillar and wheel are stylized with different decoration and the two attendants are facing forward holding flywhisks.