Maitreya Stele

Northern Qi, 572 AD
Shanghai Museum

Inside a carved pedimented niche, Maitreya sits "Western style" with legs apart, flanked by two facing attendants, his feet supported by smaller figures. He wears a crown because technically he is still a bodhisattva (future Buddha). An elaborate dragon arch frames the composition, as on imperial steles; the coiled bodies of the dragons form the mountainous sides and top of the arch; their heads and jaws form the ends of the arch on either side. The dragons' tails descend sinuously to fill the space between the arch and the sides of Maitreya's niche.