Chinese Marble Buddhist Stele

The tree bends itself into an arch, and the Buddha sits calmly beneath it.

This Buddhist stele comes from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is marble. Carved stone steles have served Chinese Buddhists for centuries as a way of making merit and marking devotion. A seated Buddha, hands together in his lap, occupies the center, attended by two slim standing figures. Two trees cross overhead in a canopy of leaves and pierced openings. Seated lions face each other in a panel below. The pale stone shows orange and grey staining. It stands 30 inches high and 18 wide.

So much carved stillness, and it needs nothing added.