Standing bodhisattva, one of a pair

This pair of bodhisattvas flanking the larger standing Buddha in this triad came from a temple near the city of Dingzhou in northern China. While the bodhisattvas were not made to accompany this particular Buddha, which is carved from a different type of marble, the three sculptures are of the same age, are carved in a similar style unique to the Northern Qi dynasty, and would have originally formed the flanking bodhisattvas of a triad centered on the Buddha. We have displayed them together so you can see how a typical triad of icons might have appeared in a Chinese temple of this period.