- Gallery Text
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Although its head, forearms, and lower legs are now lost, this majestic figure’s simple clothing identifies it as an image of the Buddha. A finely incised line at the abdomen and subtle ridges at the neck and shins mark the edges of the upper and lower garments of the Buddha’s monastic robes. Although intended to be viewed primarily from the front, it was conceived as a freestanding sculpture, as evidenced by its finished, gently modeled back. The forearms would likely have projected forward in a mudra, or symbolic hand gesture, associated with the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Created during the Dvaravati period (6th–11th century), when Buddhism first flourished and Indian sculptural styles were introduced in Thailand, this sculpture reflects the influence of the late fifth-century Indian Gupta style, with its exquisitely subtle modeling, harmonious composition, and delicate balance between areas of light and shadow.
- Identification and Creation
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- Object Number
- 1988.427
- Title
- Standing Buddha
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Work Type
- sculpture, figure
- Date
- 7th-8th century
- Places
- Creation Place: Southeast Asia, Thailand
- Period
- Dvaravati period, 4th-8th century
- Culture
- Thai
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/303417
- Location
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Level 2, Room 2740, Buddhist Art, The Efflorescence of East Asian and Buddhist Art
View this object's location on our interactive map - Physical Descriptions
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- Medium
- Light gray limestone (known as greenstone); Mon-Gupta style
- Dimensions
- H. 58.4 x W. 25.4 x D. 8.9 cm (23 x 10 x 3 1/2 in.)
- Provenance
- [Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1988] sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1988.
- Acquisition and Rights
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- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Louis Sidney Thierry Memorial Fund and the Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane Fund for the Acquisition of Oriental Art
- Accession Year
- 1988
- Object Number
- 1988.427
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.
- Publication History
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"Acquisitions", Director's Report (Harvard University Art Museums) (1988/1989), 36-44, p. 38-39.
James Cuno, Alvin L. Clark, Jr., Ivan Gaskell, and William W. Robinson, Harvard's Art Museums: 100 Years of Collecting, ed. James Cuno, Harvard University Art Museums and Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (Cambridge, MA, 1996), pp. 84-85
Harvard University Art Museums, Masterpieces of world art : Fogg Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1997
Stephan Wolohojian and Alvin L. Clark, Jr., Harvard Art Museum/ Handbook, ed. Stephan Wolohojian, Harvard Art Museum (Cambridge, 2008), p. 31
- Exhibition History
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S424: Indian and Southeast Asian Sculpture, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 08/01/2008
Re-View: S228-230 Arts of Asia, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 05/31/2008 - 06/01/2013
32Q: 2740 Buddhist II, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050
- Subjects and Contexts
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Google Art Project
Collection Highlights
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This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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