Detail of a Standing Crowned and Jeweled Buddha in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 2010

Standing Crowned and Jeweled Buddha

Date: 9th century

Culture: India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir)

Medium: Brass

Dimensions: H. 20 3/8 in. x W. 9 in. (51.8cm x 22.9 cm); D. (from hands) 3 in. (7.6 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Gift of Ben Heller, 1970

Accession Number: 1970.297

Description:

The Buddha is usually depicted in the simple garments of a monk. In Kashmir, a special form in which he wears rich jewelry and a crown, symbolizes either the great moment when Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became the Buddha or the splendor of the Buddha in his heaven, revealing himself to the Bodhisattvas.

The high, three-part crown and full fleshy face are standard for sculpture from Kashmir in the eighth and most of the ninth century. The short, three-pointed cape with jeweled pendants that covers the shoulders and the upper part of hte chest is also frequently found in representations of the crowned Buddha in Kashmir. It is occasionally seen in the Kushan art of Gandhara and is perhaps of Indo-Scythian origin.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/6000...