Detail View: The AMICA Library: Ashobhya: The Buddha of the East
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1970.10
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AMICA Library Year:
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1998
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Object Type:
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Sculpture
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Creator Nationality:
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Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian
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Creator Dates/Places:
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India
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Creator Name-CRT:
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India, Kurkihar, Bihar, Pala period, 9th century
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Title:
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Ashobhya: The Buddha of the East
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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9th century
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Creation Start Date:
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800
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Creation End Date:
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899
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Materials and Techniques:
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bronzewith silver and copper overlay
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 38.75cm x 26.25cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1970.10
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Credit Line:
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Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
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Rights:
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Context:
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This image of a seated buddha could be considered a bronze equivalent of the stone stele of Shakyamuni triumphing over Mara (see 1935.146). It represents Akshobhya, who presides over the Eastern Paradise. He is one of the five Dhyani (Meditative Buddhas) identifiable by his vajra (a scepter in the form of a thunderbolt) in front of him. His position, hand gestures, and a double-lotus throne supported by lions are all closely related to the stone stele, except that the image here is cast in bronze. Metalsculpture was very popular in Eastern India, which is known for its rich ore deposits. Because it is easily portable and because the technique allows great fluidity in execution, bronze sculpture is popular in Pala domains. The lost wax technique--where an image is fashioned in wax over a core, encapsuled in a clay mold, the wax then melted and replaced by molten metal-- allows great refinement in execution and richness of detail. Frequently metal inlay is used, as in this case, where the urna (a whorl between the eyebrows) and eyes are made in silver while the lips are in copper. Pala bronzes consist of alloys of different metals, usually eight (according to ancient manuals), with copper dominating. The bronzes were usually gilded, though the gilding isnow frequently gone. Except for small pieces they are hollow cast. The two most important sites for production of metal images in the Pala kingdom were Nalanda and Kurkihar, represented by the present bronze. Nalanda images are earlier (early to mid-ninth century), and are usually smaller and closer to the Gupta style, while later Kurkihar bronzes (late ninth to tenth century) are larger in size and much more elaborate. The figures are usually placed on richly decorated thrones. The stylization of the image--long arms, broad shoulders, tapered torso, beak-like nose--are the features of developed Pala style, which left its mark on the Buddhist sculpture outside India. The Thai Sukhodaya style is a good example of this influence. Aside from the highly accomplished formal appearance of Pala images, they successfully convey a spiritual message. Great compassion and serenity radiate from this image, features that are encountered only in the finest religious icons of any given culture. S.C.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1970.10.tif
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