Maitreya (The Buddha of the Future)

This image of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, is typical of the Northern Wei style (386-534) as it developed at the Longmen cave complex during the fifth and sixth centuries. Located outside the Wei capital of Luoyang in Honan province, sculptural activities at Longmen lasted from approximately 500 to 750. This image from Pinyang Cave displays a non-Chinese seated posture with legs crossed at the ankles. The torso is slender and elongated and the thin garment has been depicted in a schematic fashion with folds, scarves and hemlines organized into a flat, pattern-like arrangement typical of the Northern Wei style.