Stele of a buddha and two bodhisattvas

Steles such as this were frequently ordered by several families as a collective act of piety. The central scene shows a buddha and two bodhisattvas. Below are twentyfour small buddhas. Above, five buddhas flanked by two disciples form another row. The back and right sides are plain, but the left side displays six more buddhas. The inscription on the side is a typical example of Buddhist stele dedications of this period, both in the number of donors listed and in the sentiment expressed:

[In 532] the lay devotee Yang Azhen respectfully commissioned this stone image to be offered up for the sake of generations of his parental ancestors and all sentient beings. [Along with] Buddhist disciples Wang Tianjin, Wang Axu, and Wang Daohui, [and] Nephew Shuangyong, Nephew Bainv, Nephew Heirao, Nephew Bairao, Nephew Guiji, [plus] three female lay devotees Zhao Baoji, Guo Shiji, and Zhao Afei.