Statue of a Contemplative Bodhisattva

The smiling Contemplative Bodhisattva wears a crown with floating ties and a skirt with two layers. On the back of his head is a vertical halo. He rests his right leg on the left knee, sitting on a round stool and leaning forward. His right elbow rests on the right leg. The right hand holds a lotus with a long stem. The left arm is broken. The surviving hand grasps the right foot. Below the stool is a large lotus, a distinctive feature of statues made in the Eastern Wei Kingdom. The back of the rectangular stone stand is incised with an inscription as follows:
In the second year of the Xinghe reign (540), from the first day to the twenty-third day of the second lunar month, Buddhist disciple Zhi Guangshou sincerely made a white marble statue of Contemplative Bodhisattva for my deceased father. Praying that my father could go to paradise, that my family will enjoy fortune and wealth, and that offspring will all have good fortune. Hoping it will be as I wish. By the Official of Qianping Village, Zhi Sengjing.
The statue vividly depicts the Bodhisattva’s meditative manner. Incised with the date, the statue of Contemplative Bodhisattva is artistically significant for historical research. It was unearthed at the Moral Cultivation Temple in Quyang, Hebei Province in 1954.