Shakyamuni Buddha

Object Details

• Label

  The historical Buddha Shakyamuni (sage of the Lion Clan) lived and taught in northern India from approximately 480 – 400 BCE. Seated Shakyamuni images are characteristically represented with the left hand holding a begging bowl and the right hand lowered in the earth-touching gesture that signifies the moment of enlightenment. Reaching down in the earth-touching gesture, this shakyamuni Buddha appears almost amused by the attempts of the demon Mara to distract him from enlightenment.

  The large devotional image combines elements of Buddhist sculptural traditions from India, Tibet and China. The fluid drape of his garment, particularly the very nicely realized cascade of pleats fanning onto the pedestal, is indebted to Chinese imagery; the triangular torso and broad shoulders are well-established Indo-Tibetan conventions. The cold-gold paint on the Buddha’s face, a Tibetan technique, has a soft quality, a patina that suggests age.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room (March 12, 2022 - ongoing)

  Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia (October 14, 2017 to February 6, 2022)

  Doorway to an Enlightened World: The Tibetan Shrine from the Alice S. Kandell Collection (March 19 to November 27, 2016)

  The Tibetan Shrine from the Alice S. Kandell Collection (March 13, 2010 to November 27, 2016)

• Origin

  Dolonnor, Mongolia or Tibet

• Credit Line

  The Alice S. Kandell Collection

• Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Sackler Gallery 26a: The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1740s, 1760s

• Place

  Mongolia, Dolonnor

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Inlay (process), Shakyamuni Buddha, Alice S. Kandell Collection, Metal-work

• Culture

  Buddhists, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Yes