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| Buddha |
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| India; 6th century |
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| Copper alloy |
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| H. 19 3/8 in. (49.2 cm) |
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| Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art |
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| 1979.009 |
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| This Buddha performs the gesture of reassurance (abhaya mudra) with his right hand and holds a piece of unattached cloth, originally meant to represent part of his robe, in his left hand. His webbed fingers, snail shell-shaped curls, and the bump on top of his head are among the thirty-two auspicious marks (lakshanas) described in Buddhist literature that signify his advanced spiritual enlightenment. His elongated earlobes, although not among the prescribed marks, are often seen on images of Shakyamuni Buddha and refer to the heavy earrings he wore as a young prince before he cast away all material possessions to pursue a path of spiritual transcendence. The style of this Buddha's nearly transparent robe follows conventions established in Sarnath (east-central India) in the last quarter of the 5th century. |
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