Buddha Shakyamuni

Buddha Shakyamuni is seated in the meditation posture upon a throne and a double lotus pedestal. Touching the earth with his right hand, his left rests in his lap in contemplation. Above him unfold the branches of the Bodhi tree under which he reached Enlightenment. Shakyamuni is flanked by two bodhisattvas, on the left by Padmapani holding the bud of a white lotus flower, and on the right by Maitreya, identified by the ewer on the flower at his right shoulder. They are clad with a finely decorated cloth tied around their hips, and wear the princely ornaments befitting divine manifestations. From the clouds, two groups of three celestial are gazing down upon the scene. 

This painting from Northern China reinterprets the traditional Indian model, merging it with Nepalese, Tibetan and Chinese stylistic influences.