Figure of Buddha
ca. 600-618 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This figure represents Amitabha, the Buddha of Compassion, who presides over the Western or Pure Land paradise. His cult, widespread in China by the mid 6th century, had a special popular appeal; Buddhist believers were promised to enter his paradise simply by repeating his name with devotion.Here he sits cross-legged on a lotus throne. His right arm is missing from the elbow, but his hand may well have been held in wuweiyin (abhayamudra) position, the gesture of reassurance.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Gilt bronze |
| Brief description | Gilded bronze figure of the Buddha Amitabha, made China, ca. 600-618 |
| Physical description | Gilded bronze figure of the Buddha Amitabha, seated cross-legged on a lotus throne and wearing a monastic robe with flat and even folds. The right arm is broken off at the elbow, and the left arm is pendant with the hand resting on the left knee. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequest of professor Benjamin Rowland Jnr, acquired with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This figure represents Amitabha, the Buddha of Compassion, who presides over the Western or Pure Land paradise. His cult, widespread in China by the mid 6th century, had a special popular appeal; Buddhist believers were promised to enter his paradise simply by repeating his name with devotion.Here he sits cross-legged on a lotus throne. His right arm is missing from the elbow, but his hand may well have been held in wuweiyin (abhayamudra) position, the gesture of reassurance. |
| Bibliographic reference | Benjamin Rowland Jr. The Evolution of the Buddha Image. London: Asia House; New York, 1963.
p.139, Cat.43 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.1-1974 |
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| Record created | October 2, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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