Description
This bronze Buddha is exceptional, because it carries an inscription on its base that dates its manufacture to the year 591. According to the inscription, the sculpture was dedicated by a nun who was from a village in Nepal, but she probably commissioned it at a workshop in northern India.
The Buddha's robe on this image has been left plain, without pleat lines to obscure the beauty of the contours of the body. Only the rippling scalloped clusters of the garment’s hem lend some sense of energy and subtle ornament to the composition.
The Buddha's robe on this image has been left plain, without pleat lines to obscure the beauty of the contours of the body. Only the rippling scalloped clusters of the garment’s hem lend some sense of energy and subtle ornament to the composition.
Provenance
Unknown, Kathmandu, sold to Bombay dealer Lalbhai Dur Lama (?–1965); (Lalbhai Dur Lama, Bombay, India, sold to Isidor Kahane) (1965–? by 1968); (I. Kahane, Inc., Zürich, Switzerland, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (? after 1965–1968); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1968–)
Accession Number
1968.40
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
Overall: 46.5 x 15.4 x 13.4 cm (18 5/16 x 6 1/16 x 5 1/4 in.); without base: 35 x 13.8 x 10.5 cm (13 3/4 x 5 7/16 x 4 1/8 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
