seated in padmasana on a raised plinth rising from a rectangular base. Buddha’s hands are in the mudra of concentration, dhyanamudra, and he holds the remains of an object. He wears long, flowing robes that fall over the plinth. His head is carved with wavy hair and he has a prominent usnisa backed by a mandorla; he has long earlobes and his face bears a serene, benevolent expression. The base is carved with two guardian figures, one of whom is missing his head, with muscular bodies; the complete figure has a fierce expression to his features, a top knot and a mandorla. The guardians flank two dogs confronting the upper body of a figure who balances an incense burner on his head and arms. The creamy-white stone has slight grey and red markings.

For similar examples, see Sirén, Chinese Sculpture: From the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century, pl. 243B, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and pl. 252B, in the collection of the Musée Guimet; Casler, The Path to Enlightenment, no. 39, p. 51, dated 551 and also in the collection of the Musée Guimet; and Bodhisattva, no. 37, in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum.