Buddhist Votive Stele at The Guimet Museum, Paris

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This votive monument shaped as a 'mandorla'[?] on a quadrangular base. One one side depicts the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and also the "universal body" of The BuddhaDainichi - surrounded by monks and bodhisattvas; and, on the reverse, a Maitreya Buddha announced in future time. The style clearly indicates a creation of the era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577), short and crucial period in routing to Chinese expression in sculpture and Buddhist icons. A double inscription on the back says, "The monk Fayin, bikshu disciple of Buddha"; The beautiful white marble and highlights of polychrome suggests that this monument was created in the imperial worshops of Hebei. (source; Guimet Museum)   This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.