Seated Buddha

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Seated Buddha

Place of OriginPeshawar Valley, Pakistan

Date3rd Century

Dimensions34 1/2 × 22 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (87.6 × 57.2 × 19.1 cm)
base: 22 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 3 in. (57.2 × 19.1 × 7.6 cm)

Mediumcarved gray Schist

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds given by Mr. and Mrs. Preston Levis

Object number

2000.11

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 35

DescriptionThe work consists of a carved block of gray schist depicting the image of Sakyamuni Buddha seated on a plinth containing five seated Buddhas of the past. Grey schist is a local hard stone found only in the region of Gandhara, a north Indian province, which today is the area that straddles the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The remnants of a halo can be discerned behind the head of the Buddha. The Buddha, measuring 31.5" high and 22" wide, is remarkably intact except for a missing right forearm and hand and part of the right calf. The plinth below is also intact except for the head of one of the five seated Buddhas and a squat column at one end. Two devotees on either side of the group of five Buddhas are shown in various attitudes of worship. There are no inscriptions or signatures.

Label TextThis serene sculpture depicts the Buddha, the “enlightened one,” who was originally wealthy prince Siddhartha. Born in what is now Nepal in 480 BCE, Siddhartha renounced his fortune, attained spiritual enlightenment through meditation, and died around 400 BCE. His teachings became the center of the Buddhist faith. Here the Buddha is shown in the seated position for meditation. His missing right hand would have been raised, palm facing outward and fingers extended upward in a symbolic gesture of reassurance to the worshiper. The plinth on which he sits represents a mandala, or diagram, of the five cosmic Buddhas (the Tathagatas). Flanked here by devout donors, they symbolize the four cardinal directions and the center of the cosmos. The sculpture was carved in the ancient region of Gandhara, today part of northwestern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was a crossroads for commercial and cultural exchange between India and the ancient Mediterranean world. It was where the Buddha was first portrayed in human form, rather than suggested by the depiction of footprints or empty thrones. The idealized features, wavy hair, and draped robes were likely inspired by classical Greek and Roman images of Apollo.Published ReferencesLondon, Sotheby's, Islamic and Indian Art, 1991, no. 514, p. 86.

London, Sotheby's, The Indian Sale, 1997, no. 23, p. 22.

"A Selection of 2000 Museum Acquisitions," Apollo, vol. 152, no. 466, Dec. 2000, repr. p. 19 (col.).

Berkowitz, Roger M., "Selected acquisitions made by the Toledo Museum of Art, 1900-2001," Burlington, vol. 143, no. 1177, April 2001, p. 258, fig. II, (col.).

Reich, Paula, Toledo Museum of Art: Map and Guide, London, Scala, 2005, p. 11, repr. (col.).

"Art of Asia acquired by North American museums, 2000-2001," Archives of Asian Art, vol. 53, 2002-2003, repr. p. 124.

"Top 100 treasures," Art and Antiques, vol. 24, no. 11, Nov. 2001, p. 110, repr. (col.).

"La chronique des arts principales acquisitions des musees en 2001," Gazette des Beaux-Arts, vol. 149, no. 1598, Mar. 2002, repr. p. 34.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 22, repr. (col.).

Reich, Paula, Toledo Museum of Art: Map and Guide, London, Scala, 2009, p. 11, repr. (col.).

Exhibition HistoryLondon, Spink and Son Ltd., The Sculpture of Gandhara, 1974 (no catalogue).