Chinese Stone Buddhist Stele

Three figures under a carved canopy, with trees curving in from either side.

This Buddhist stele comes from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is Qing Zhou stone. Steles of this kind often present a Buddha flanked by attendants, a standard grouping in Chinese Buddhist imagery for well over a thousand years. Here a seated figure rests on a lotus at the center, with a slender standing attendant on each side. A draped valance hangs above them, and broad trees with fan-shaped leaves frame the whole. The pale stone is weathered to a soft, crumbly texture with ochre stains. It is 26 inches wide and 20 high.

The trees have kept their shape around them all this time.