Fang Xuanling Pedestal
Unknown Artist
647
Medium
marble
Dimensions
h. 66 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Worcester R. Warner Collection
Accession Number
1915.334.2
About this artwork
This double lotus pedestal exhibits the rich, ornate style of early Tang sculpture. It was commissioned by the Duke of Liang, Fang Xuanling (578–648), for the blessing of his second son and daughter-in-law, the Tang imperial princess of Gaoyang. The iconography and inscription suggest that it originally went with a statue, now missing, of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, instead of Amitayus. Today the pedestal is topped with Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, seated in meditation. Although...