Prabhutaratna, a buddha of the past, and Shakyamuni, the Buddha of the present
Place of OriginChina
Date472
DynastyNorthern Wei dynasty (386-534)
MaterialsBronze with gilding
DimensionsH. 6 1/4 in x W. 3 3/8 in x D. 1 3/4 in, H. 15.9 cm x W. 8.5 cm x D. 4.4 cm
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB60B1035
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsSculpture
On View
On viewLocationGallery 16
InscribedThe inscription refers to this theme by calling the sculpture "Duobao (i.e., Prabhutaratna), one."
On the side faces of the dais incised rectangles and zigzags are used as fillers. The rear is covered with a haphazardly incised inscription, of which the legible parts are: "Yanxing, second year (472 ), ninth month, fifth day . . . has made one Duobao. . . reverently inscribed."
There is a similar, but much better known and more richly detailed piece in the Nezu Collection, Tokyo, with an inscribed date of 489.
More InformationThis piece illustrates the ethnic diversity in northern China during the 400s. While the inscription (largely illegible) is in Chinese, the female and two male donors depicted on the front of the dais wear clothes typical of the many Turkic groups living in Northern China and Central Asia.
Subject
- Buddha
- Prabhutaratna
- Shakyamuni
approx. 1600-1700
approx. 1700-1800
approx. 1700-1800
