The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Stele with Maitreya and Attendants

500

China, Northern Wei dynasty

(386-534)
gray limestone
Overall: 94.6 x 54.6 cm (37 1/4 x 21 1/2 in.)
Gift of Severance and Greta Millikin 1959.130
Location: 241C Chinese Buddhist Sculptures

Description

Buddhist statue steles (zaoxiang bei) were commissioned and donated to be set in temples. The making of Buddhist images allowed for personal devotion and accumulation of merits, but the erection of a stele was also an act of piety or gratitude by individual donors. As indicated by the inscription on the reverse side of this stele, it was commissioned in 500 by a monk for his parents, family, and religious teachers.
  • Ho, Wai Kam. "The Future Buddha Maitreya in a Northern Wei Stele." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 47, no. 8 (October 1960): 183-191. Preproduced: p. 182, 184, 187; Mentioned: p. 183-191 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 249 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 249 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 329 archive.org
    Wilson, J. Keith, and Anne E. Wardwell. "New Objects/New Insights: Cleveland's Recent Chinese Acquisitions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 81, no. 8 (1994): 270-347. Reproduced: p. 317; Mentioned: p. 317, 320, www.jstor.org
  • The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).
    Evolution of the Buddha Image. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (May 7-June 30, 1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Stele with Maitreya and Attendants|url=false|author=|year=500|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.130