Object Image

Stele with Maitreya and Attendants

Unknown Artist

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.

Credit: Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin

500

Gray limestone

94.6 x 54.6 cm

1959.130

Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024

Where you'll find this

The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Permanent collection