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Standing Buddha
Standing Buddha

Standing Buddha

Place of OriginChina
Date520
DynastyNorthern Wei dynasty (386-534)
MaterialsBronze with gilding
DimensionsH. 11 3/4 in x W. 4 3/16 in x D. 4 in, H. 29.9 cm x W. 10.6 cm x D. 10.2 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60B1039
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsSculpture
On View
On view
LocationGallery 16
InscribedThe long inscription on the rear of the aureole reads: Great Dai, Zhengguang first year (520 ), the cyclical combination being Gengzi; the twelfth month, beginning with a genghai day; on the twenty-fourth day of the same: a disciple pure in faith, Wang Furu, on behalf of his deceased father and mother and his late wife, has made one image of Guanshiyin. He prays that the souls of his deceased parents and late wife may be reborn in the Pure Land, in the presence of the Compassionate One; or if reborn among mankind here below, that they may be rulers of states or aristocrats (?). May they awaken to the peril of lapsing into the Triple Filthiness (of this world). May they encounter the Waters of the Dharma, to wash their hearts wholly clean. May the Dharmas grace extend back through seven generations of incarnations in the Three Kinds of Existence, bringing all into accord in a common felicity.
More Information
This sculpture is of the Buddha but the inscription specifically mentions the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. It is possible that the mandorla (body halo) on which the inscription is incised was not the one originally made to be paired with the figure.
Subject
  • Buddha