The meditating bodhisattva or prince is one of the more intriguing images in early Buddhist iconography. Variously interpreted as Sakyamuni Buddha portrayed just before his enlightenment in contemplation under the bodhi tree, or Maitreya the Future Buddha, also portrayed in a parallel scenario as an image of hope and imminent salvation, this figure assumed great significance in the turmoil of the Northern Qi period. This free standing image is particularly rare as they are more often found in pairs as part of large scale group images of the period.

For another rare free standing example from the same area with a very similar feature of the scarf at the shoulders joined to the pendulous disc earrings; see Buddhist Sculptures, Hong Kong, 2001, exhibition catalogue, no. 71. For another meditating figure of the same period and school, see The Art of Contemplation – Religious Sculptures from Private Collections, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1997, exhibition catalogue, no. 34, from the same collection as the present figure.