Four-sided miniature stele

This small shrine was probably made for private use. Although its authenticity has never been questioned, it is being exhibited here for the first time, partly because its modest scale and lack of inscribed date have led scholars to overlook it. Its darkened condition is also a factor, for to fully appreciate the carving, a viewer must look closely. If the work were to be cleaned, pigment might be lost.  The front and rear niches contain a seated Buddha in monastic robes on one side and a crowned bodhisattva (enlightened being) on the other.

These images suggest the popular pairing of Shakyamuni (566-486 B.C.E.), the historical Buddha, and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, who waits as a bodhisattva in a heavenly realm until he descends to earth as the next Buddha. It is unusual, however, to find Maitreya as a bodhisattva seated with pendant legs, a posture common for depictions of Maitreya as a Buddha. The side niches feature a Buddha and a bodhisattva. Stylistically the work seems Western Wei, circa 550, although the gently domed roof is unusual in a miniature shrine of this date.