Stele with Maitreya and Attendants
Unknown Artist
500
Medium
gray limestone
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.946,"width":0.546}}
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin
Accession Number
1959.130
About this artwork
Buddhist statue steles (zaoxiang bei) were commissioned and donated to be set in temples. The making of Buddhist images allowed for personal devotion and accumulation of merits, but the erection of a stele was also an act of piety or gratitude by individual donors. As indicated by the inscription on the reverse side of this stele, it was commissioned in 500 by a monk for his parents, family, and religious teachers.