Considerations on the so-called stele of 425 at Wanfosi 萬佛寺 (Chengdu, Sichuan)

The article deals with the rubbing of a Buddhist stele from Chengdu (Sichuan), often quoted as one of the few specimens of so-called "southern Buddhist art" from the medieval period. In spite of the fragmentary condition of the rubbing and the loss of the original stone stele, the stele (and thus the rubbing) still continues to be dated by scholars to 425. The importance of the specimen can't be overstated since, firstly, if this date were accepted, it would be one of the earliest dated Buddhist steles and the earliest example of carved images of the life of the Buddha in China; secondly, it would prove the southern development of the representation of the life of the Buddha, in complete contrast to most of the evidence from northern China. The comparative analysis of the iconographies depicted on the rubbing and certain stylistic considerations suggest a different interpretation of this specimen, as well as an alternative date.