1978.102: Seated Bodhisattva in Meditation, His Hands in Dhyana-mudra
SculptureThe stucco sculpture is of a man sitting cross-legged with both of his hands together in his lap. The sculpture is pale tan in color. His head is slightly tilted to his left. He is wearing a draped robe that covers his left shoulder and his lap. He is wearing a bracelet on his right wrist, two necklaces, and a headpiece. His hair is down behind his ears and is shoulder-length. His headpiece has two pieces that come together in an “X” shape and there is a detailed round shape above.
Gallery Text
Although its popularity would not take hold in China until several centuries after its introduction during the Eastern Han period (25–220 CE), the religious teachings of Buddhism began in South Asia around the 5th century BCE, and by the 3rd century BCE, figural images with distinctive regional styles arose. Two grew to particular prominence, later serving as major inspirations for artisans in Central Asia and China. In the northwestern region of ancient Gandhara (parts of present-day India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan), artisans working in brightly polychromed gray schist or white stucco took their cues from Greek sculpture, creating figures with Classical facial features, thick curly locks, and heavy drapery. Gandhara was ruled by a series South Asian Buddhist Sculpture of Indo-Greek kings from the fourth century BCE onward and long served as an important artistic gateway between India and the West. Meanwhile, near the northcentral Indian city of Mathura, artisans drew inspiration from indigenous Indian sculptural styles, celebrating the corporeality of the body, which they draped in diaphanous robes that revealed its structure. Mathuran images were typically sculpted in mottled red sandstone quarried in nearby Sikri, and like their Gandharan counterparts, they were naturalistically painted. Visual elements drawn from both of these styles are visible in the early Chinese Buddhist sculptures on display in the next gallery.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1978.102
- Title
- Seated Bodhisattva in Meditation, His Hands in Dhyana-mudra
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Work Type
- figurine, sculpture
- Date
- 2nd-4th century
- Places
- Creation Place: Central Asia, Afghanistan
- Period
- Kushan period, c.100 BCE-250 CE
- Culture
- Afghan
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/201914
Location
- Location
-
Level 1, Room 1610, Buddhist Sculpture, Buddhism and Early East Asian Buddhist Art
View this object's location on our interactive map
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Stucco with traces of polychromy; Gandharan style, perhaps from Hadda, Afghanistan
- Technique
- Stucco
- Dimensions
- H. 51 x W. 30.5 x D. 12 cm (20 1/16 x 12 x 4 3/4 in.)
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Ellen O. Jennings, Ipswich, MA (by 1978), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1978.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mrs. Ellen O. Jennings in memory of Horace D. Chapin
- Accession Year
- 1978
- Object Number
- 1978.102
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Exhibition History
- S424: Indian and Southeast Asian Sculpture, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 08/01/2008
- 32Q: 1740 Early China I, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 06/18/2024
- 32Q: 1610 Buddhist Art I, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/18/2024 - 01/01/2050
Subjects and Contexts
- Google Art Project
Verification Level
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu