Buddhist stele

Object Details

• Label

  When the Freer Gallery of Art acquired this stela, or tablet-shaped sculpture, in 1923, it was broken into five pieces. After conservators repaired it in 1933, it was long exhibited as a masterpiece. Recently, some doubts have arisen about the stela's authenticity based on the lack of similar works in China. In addition, little natural wear appears on the stone, which is suspect. Damage is limited to the heads of some figures and might have been intentionally inflicted by modern creators to "antique" the stela. This sculpture is an example of a previously unassailable work now undergoing more study in order to assess its genuineness.

  The central image is a seated Buddha with raised right hand in the gesture of reassurance and lowered left hand in the gesture of granting favor. It is peculiar that he is seated on a dais with an hourglass-shaped throne beneath the platform. Usually only one type of seat is depicted. Is this a copyist's mistake? In the upper register, another Buddha appears between matching canopied niches. On the right is the supremely wise Buddhist layman Weimo (Sanskrit, Vimalakirti), who holds a whisklike object. On the left is the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Wenshu (Sanskrit, Manjusri), holding a scepter. The arrangement of these two figures separated by a Buddha group was common during the sixth century.

  The lowest register features a vase with an elaborate floral arrangement and two kneeling worshipers holding censers. To each side, guardian figures hold trident-like poles. On the rear of the stela is an inscription with more than 550 characters that indicates the stela was donated to a temple by a group that included monks and nuns.

• Provenance

  To 1923

  Hsu-Sen-yu, Bejing [1]

  From 1923

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased by Carl Whiting Bishop from Hsu-Sen-yu, Peking on Sept. 11, 1923 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record. This stele along with five other pieces were purchased by Carl Whiting Bishop from Mr. Hsu Sen-yu, who was a staff of the Chinese Educational Department in Bejing, China in 1923.

  [2] See note 1. Also see the Bishop Collection file, Collections Management Office.

  Updated on June 6, 2021

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in New Light (April 14, 2002 to September 8, 2003)

  Chinese Art—Stone Sculpture (September 1, 1979 to March 14, 1982)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 17 (November 17, 1955 to January 1, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Buddhist Sculpture (June 2, 1944 to March 13, 1944)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, 1944 (March 13, 1944 to November 14, 1944)

  Stone Sculpture, Gallery 17, 1923 (May 2, 1923 to November 17, 1955)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hsu-Sen-yu

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

  This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  500s

• Name

  Hsu-Sen-yu

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Period of Division (220 - 589), Art, Weimo, Chinese Art, Abhaya mudra, Cintamani, Carl Whiting Bishop collection, Stone, Throne, Wenshu, Trident, Varada mudra, Halo, Scepter

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture