Sculpture

When the Buddha was giving teachings to his mother in the Trayastrimsa Heaven, having missed the presence of the Buddha, King Udayana gave instructed for an image of the Buddha to be sculpted. This marks the beginning of Buddhist sculpture.

The sculpture category consists of four volumes. It includes 2,326 selected entries with 3,217 pictures of Buddhist sculptures from temples and museums around the world. These entries include symbols from the aniconic phase, and Buddhist figures in the iconic period.

The overview in the first volume details the origin, development, and artistic features of the Buddhist sculptures. The appendices in the last volume list different thrones and pedestals, nimbuses, aureoles, and mandalas, mudras and postures, and sculptural techniques.