Buddhist stele

Object Details

• Label

  This Buddhist stele represents a central, crowned Buddha seated on a lotus pedestal flanked by two bodhisattvas standing upon lotus bases. The Buddha wears jeweled chains. Crowned Buddhas were associated with at least four Buddhist deities, including deities in Esoteric Buddhism.

  The iconography and style of carving are unusual. Because of a strong similarity to some images at Longmen, it seems likely that this stele originally came from one of the Tang dynasty caves there. Longmen, a Buddhist cave-temple near Luoyang, Henan Province, was begun in 493 and over the course of almost four hundred years of Chinese imperial patronage, the site was transformed into a richly endowed complex with over 2,300 caves and niches in cliff walls adorned with sculptures. In the early twentieth century some sculptures and fragments were removed from Longmen and entered the international antiquities market, but at the time the objects often were not properly identified. Today scholars are conducting research to see if the original sites of these sculptures can be determined.

• Provenance

  Probably from Longmen Grottos, Henan Province, China [1]

  To 1912

  Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1912 [2]

  From 1912 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1912 [3]

  From 1920

  The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920. [4]

  Notes:

  [1] Jan Stuart, 3/10/2003, Curatorial Remarks.

  [2] Undated folder sheet note. See S.I. 380, Original Miscellaneous List, p. 120, Freer Galley of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] 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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  Likely from the Longmen grottoes, Luoyang, Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  800s, 600s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, buddha, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Luoyang, China, Likely from the Longmen grottoes, Henan province

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Cats, Art, Animals, Fly whisk, Chinese Art, Tang dynasty (618 - 907), Cintamani, Stone, Bodhisattva, Bhumisparsha mudra

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture