Seated Buddha

CultureIndian

Date9th-10th century C.E.

MediumSchist

DimensionsOverall: 21 1/2 × 14 1/2 × 5 1/2 inches (54.61 × 36.83 × 13.97 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number31-63

On View

On view

Collections

South and Southeast Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionBuddha seated cross-legged on lily pedestal; half round relief with low relief background.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Evolution of the Buddha Image, Asia Society Galleries, New York, May 6-June 30, 1963, no.17.

Pala Art: Buddhist and Hindu Sculpture from Eastern India, ca. 800-1200 A.D., University of Iowa, Museum of Art, Iowa City, November 1-December 3, 1969, no. 8.

Gallery Label

This sculpture represents the most important moment in the life of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, the moment of his enlightenment. As Shakyamuni sat with legs crossed beneath the Bodhi Tree, the tree of enlightenment, he was accosted by the demon Mara, who demanded to know what authority allowed him to attain enlightenment. The Buddha-to-be replied, “Let the earth be my witness,” and extended his hand to touch the earth. Some depictions of this scene include the earth goddess rising up to grant him permission to achieve enlightenment.

Provenance

With Paul Mallon, Paris, before or by 1931 [1];

With Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, by 1931 [2];

Purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, February 1931.

[1] Seated Buddha was reproduced as plate 14 in the undated (possibly 1920?) publication Quatorze Sculptures Indiennes de la Collection Paul Mallon. Paris.

[2] Purchase invoice, Registration records.

Published References

Paul Mallon and Victor Goloubew, Quatorze Sculptures Indiennes de la Collection Paul Mallon. Paris, n.d., plate 14, (repro.).

“The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City Special Number,” Art News 32, no. 10 (December 9, 1933): 56, 66, (repro.).

Ross E. Taggart, ed., Handbook of the Collections in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 4th ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1959), 227, (repro.).

Benjamin Rowland, The Evolution of the Buddha Image, exh. cat. (New York: The Asia Society Galleries in association with Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1963), 56-57,132, (repro.).

University of Iowa, Museum of Art, Pala Art: Buddhist and Hindu Sculpture from Eastern India, ca. 800-1200 A.D., exh. cat. (Iowa City: University of Iowa, 1969), 26.

Ross E. Taggart and George L. McKenna, eds., Handbook of the Collections in The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Missouri, vol. 2, Art of the Orient, 5th ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1973), 123, (repro.).

Dorothy H. Fickle, “The Tree of Life in Indian Art,” Oriental Art 34, no. 1 (Spring 1988): 42-49, (repro.).

Dorothy H. Fickle, Images of the Buddha in Thailand. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989), 48-49, 52, 63, 66-67, plate 11, (repro.).

Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 382, (repro.).

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 263, (repro.).

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.