1988.427: Standing Buddha
SculptureThe light grey limestone sculpture is of a body standing upright and facing the viewer. The body’s head, forearms, and feet have been broken off. The body is slender, has a flat chest, and narrow hips.
Gallery Text
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
- Object Number
- 1988.427
- Title
- Standing Buddha
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Work Type
- figure, sculpture
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Recorded Ownership History
- [Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1988] sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1988.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Louis Sidney Thierry Memorial Fund and through the Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane Fund for Asian Art
- Accession Year
- 1988
- Object Number
- 1988.427
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Publication History
- "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
- 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
- S424: Indian and Southeast Asian Sculpture, Harvard University Art Museums, 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, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 06/13/2024
- 32Q: 1610 Buddhist Art I, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/18/2024 - 01/01/2050
Subjects and Contexts
- Collection Highlights
- Google Art Project
Verification Level
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