Seated Buddha Maitreya

This statue of Maitreya (buddha of the future) was made in the Tang capital, Chang’an (now Xi’an). Like many Maitreya images, the buddha sits on a throne with legs down. The throne and the foot supports are in the shape of lotus buds. The lotus, which grows from the mud or from impurities in a pond yet has a pure white flower, is a popular symbol in Buddhist art. The remaining inscription indicates that two Buddhist disciples, Gao Zhouni and his daughter Huiming, commissioned this statue in part to placate the hungry ghosts of the Buddhist hells.