Buddhas of the Past and Present

Object Details

• Label

  The inscription on the base of this fragmentary devotional image does not contain a legible date, but the style is consistent with gilt bronzes made during the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535). The image represents the Buddha of the Present conversing with the Buddha of the Past, an event described in the Lotus Sutra, a sacred text. As the inscription attests, lay Buddhist worshipers commissioned the image to accumulate spiritual merit.

  Museum conservators who removed a layer of earthy incrustation from the work in 1956 found the gilding exceptionally well preserved. The image's excellent condition coupled with its somewhat perplexing mixture of stylistic features from both the fifth and the sixth centuries brought the object under scrutiny as a fake. The soft drapery folds, the rounded faces, and the details of the dragon arch are consistent with fifth-century works, but the "waterfall" drapery cascading over the front of the dais more closely resembles a sixth-century work. Nonetheless, the sculpture is currently accepted as genuine, and detailed scientific examination supports its authenticity.

• Provenance

  To 1911

  Ta Ge Shang, Beijing, to 1911 [1]

  From 1911 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Ta Ge Shang in 1911 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Original Bronze List, S.I. 285, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in New Light (April 14, 2002 to September 8, 2003)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Ta Ge Shang (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  500s, 400s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Ge Shang, Ta

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Gilding, Bronze, Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Sculpture, Shakyamuni, Chinese Art, Prabhutaratna Buddha, Northern Wei dynasty (386 - 534), Halo, Metal-work

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture