STÈLE EN PIERRE REPRÉSENTANT BOUDDHADynastie de Wei du Nord, datée de l'an Gengyin, IIIe année de l'ère Yongping, correspondant à l'an 510 ap. J.-C., et de l'époque A STONE DOCUMENTARY STELE OF BUDDHA Northern Wei Dynasty, dated to the Gengyin year, third year of Yongping, corresponding to 510 AD and of the period Of rectangular form, the front carved with a grotto enclosing Buddha seated on a stepped pedestal over a cascading hanging supported by a pair of Yaksha, flanked by two bodhisattvas, one holding an offering and the other with its hands clasped in prana mudra , the reverse with a smaller grotto enclosing seated Buddha above a lotus pedestal, with inscriptions around all sides except for the top and bottom, with traces of vermillion pigment. 36.8cm (14 1/2in) high x 28.2cm (11 1/8in) wide x 11cm (4 5/16in) deep. Provenance: Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935 Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021) Steles played an important role in the development of regional religious art. During the Northern Wei dynasty, state-sponsor of Buddhism enabled the rapid spread of the religion throughout northern China. At this time, Buddhist voluntary gro affiliated to local temples and organised by laymen became the main patrons of Buddhist steles whichmemorated the group's religious, social, and territorial identity. The relative ubiquity of the medium employed to manufacture steles, and their small size, prompted a multitude of regional workshops, many of which developed their own style using the monumental cave temple carvings as a basis. pare with a related stele, Northern Wei dynasty, illustrated by O.Siren, Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Centuries , London, 1925, pl.128A and vol.I, p.33. 北魏永平三年 石雕佛龕 來源： 巴黎Robert Rousset（1901-1981）舊藏，於1935年前入藏 巴黎Jean-Pierre Rousset（1936-2021）舊藏