Torso of a Male Deity (Bodhisattva)
Artist/Culture
Indian
Artist/Culture
Mathura
DateKushan period, 100s
Mediummottled red Sikri sandstone
Dimensions50 x 24 x 11 cm (19 11/16 x 9 7/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineAlexander H. Bullock Fund
Terms
Object number1988.37
DescriptionThe deity wearing a multi-strand necklace and flat cylindrical earrings. Originally part of a larger sculpture of Buddha flanked by bodhisattvas. Although it is only a fragment of a larger group, the sensitive modeling of the image gives it a commanding presence.Label TextThis figure is probably a Buddhist bodhisattva, a deity who is capable of attaining enlightenment, but who has delayed its own enlightenment in order to help others reach their own salvation. Portrayals of bodhisattvas began to appear in Buddhist art in the first century along with images of Buddha. The princely dress and ornaments of a bodhisattva visibly differentiate it from the usual monastic robes of a Buddha. The deity here wears a multi-strand necklace and flat cylindrical earrings.ProvenancePeter Marks Works of Art, New York
On View
Not on view
