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Maitreya Bodhisattva
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Maitreya Bodhisattva
INDIA / PAKISTAN; circa 8th–9th century; Gilt bronze; H: 17.1 cm; National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
In addition to the brass from which the sculpture is cast, the eyes are inlaid with silver and the mouth with copper. The figure and base were made as a single piece. The ornamentation includes the ribbons and decorations on the headdress, as well as the plant and vase held by the Bodhisattva. A protrusion on the statue’s back suggests there may once have been a mandorla.
The lion throne on which Maitreya sits in full lotus position rests on an inverted lotus supported by a rectangular base. The figure wears a three-leaf crown fronted by a pagoda, which is an identifying feature for this Bodhisattva. The hair it encloses builds into a fan shape. A necklace decorates the chest while a beaded sacred thread descends diagonally across it. The left hand opens in varada (wish-granting) mudra and there is a longevity leaf in the right. |
