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© Bruce M. White, 2004.
Bodhisattva in Full Lotus Position
© Bruce M. White, 2004.
© Bruce M. White, 2004.
© Bruce M. White, 2004.
ClassificationsAsian Art

Bodhisattva in Full Lotus Position

Place CreatedMathura, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia
CultureIndia, Mathura
PeriodKushan
Date2nd Century CE
MediumRed sandstone
Credit LineThe Ester R. Portnow Collection of Asian Art, a gift of the Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation
Dimensions50 3/8 x 39 3/4 in. (128 x 101 cm)
Object number2000.005.001
Label TextThis rare statue depicts the former prince Siddhartha Gautama seated in the full lotus position of an accomplished meditator after his renunciation and prior to his awakening. Having replaced his sumptuous royal robes with the thin ones of an ascetic, the Bodhisattva, or future Buddha, sits solidly at ease. Wheels representing his teaching adorn the soles of his feet, reminding worshippers of his destiny to become the Buddha of our era. His right hand, now lost, would have been raised in a have-no-fear gesture. His left hand would have rested sturdily on his knee.

Behind the Bodhisattva was an aureole, a trace of which remains visible above his right shoulder. His head would have displayed a third eye and a topknot, both signifying wisdom. Below the dais, four worshippers hold lotus stalks and surround the bodhi tree under which the Bodhisattva will soon become the Buddha Shakyamuni. This sculpture represents one of the earliest depictions of the Bodhisattva in human form. Prior to this time, the Bodhisattva and Buddha were represented only through symbols such as footprints, the tree, and wheel.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - April 4, 2021
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, August 28, 2021 - Present
Published ReferencesMCCM Newsletter, September - November 2000.
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 118.
ProvenanceSaid to be ex coll Simpson Family, Canada, from 1920s. Purchased for MCCM by Robert Walzer [Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation], Georgetown, Connecticut, from Kapoor Galleries, New York, New York, September 1999.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Asian Art