The monk made a bronze statue of Maitreya

[Monk Cheng made the bronze Maitreya]

Monk Cheng made the bronze Maitreya, the third year of Liang Datong in the Southern Dynasty (537), 10.5 cm high
This statue is in the form of one Buddha and two disciples. Maitreya Buddha polished his bun, smiled with a round face, wore a monk’s branch inside, and wore a double-necked pendulous cassock outside. The cassock was hanging out, with a fearless seal in his right hand, and a vow seal in his left hand. He stood barefoot on the lotus pedestal. A honeysuckle sticks out from the left and right sides of the lotus platform, supporting the disciples standing on the lotus seat. The flame pattern is a navicular backlight, with the upper part of the backlight slightly rolled inward, and the head light is decorated with lotus petal pattern. The inscription on the back of the statue reads, “On July 12, the third year of Datong, the monks of the monks formed a body like you”. “You” is written as “Mi”. There are two other records about Seng Cheng. The first is Volume VIII of the Biography of Eminent Monks: “Seng Cheng of the Gaozuo Temple, Monk Treasure of the Kuangye Temple, and the craftsman of the Qi Dynasty.” The first is the monument of the statue of Xuanhao released in the first year of Qi Yongming (483). The inscription reads: “The first year of Qi Yongming was on July 15, Guihai, and the first year of Qi Yongming, Cao Biqiu released Xuanhao in Xiliang… The statue of Amitabha II was created in honor of limitless life, and when the statue of Maitreya became Buddha II was created… The monk was released by the monk, mixed with the value of □, and the total amount of □”, Sengcheng was an eminent monk active in the Qi and Liang Dynasties of the Southern Dynasty, believing in Maitreya. Few bronze statues have been found in the Southern Dynasty, and those with inscriptions of time and donor are even more rare. Although the figure is small, it is beautifully carved, especially the delicate and accurate depiction of Maitreya and the threatening faces. Xun is not the work of ordinary craftsmen, but is actually the classic work of the Southern Dynasty bronze statue.