Buddhist stele

Object Details

• Label

  The small votive stela has lost its upper section, which probably came to a flame-shaped point. The main figure on the front is a Buddha, and on the rear appears a seated bodhisattva (enlightened being) with crossed ankles. The style of the sculpture resembles early-sixth-century stelae from northern Henan Province.

  The work was in the United States before 1916, and doubts have arisen about its authenticity. On the front of the stela, the fussy drapery that cascades over the base is unusual. On the back, the Buddha niches cut off at the stone's edge are inexplicable-there is no reason for carving incomplete arches and figures.

  The inscription dated 511 on the stela's front is also atypical. The two characters in the second line from the right appear to have been squeezed in as an afterthought. Anomalies such as these are serious but cannot prove the sculpture to be fake. Some unusual sculptures have been discovered in China, suggesting that despite its peculiarities, this stela could be genuine.

• Provenance

  From at least 1916 to 1968

  Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), New York, NY, Washington, DC and Mt. Kisco, NY, from at least 1916 [1]

  From 1968

  Freer Gallery of Art, given by Agnes E. Meyer, 1968 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer lent the stele to the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition in 1916, see S. C Bosch Reitz, Catalogue of An Exhibition of Early Chinese Pottery and Sculpture, exh. cat. (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1916), cat. 323 (ill.).

  [2] The object is included in Agnes E. Meyer’s Deed of Gift, listed as no. 37 in the document’s Annex, dated July 24, 1967, copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  A Brief History of Chinese Writing (April 26, 2000 to February 9, 2002)

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Memorial Exhibition (September 25, 1971 to October 2, 1972)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970))

• Origin

  Probably Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  500s

• Name

  buddha, Meyer, Eugene and Agnes E.

• Place

  China, Henan province

• Topic

  Cats, Art, Animals, Chinese Art, Varada mudra, Abhaya mudra, Stone, Bodhisattva, Northern Wei dynasty (386 - 534), Lettering, Dragon

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture