ClassificationsAsian Art

Figure of Maitreya

Place CreatedChina, Asia

CultureTibet

Date15th Century

MediumBronze, inlaid copper, silver, pigment

Credit LineThe Ester R. Portnow Collection of Asian Art, a gift of the Nathan Rubin-Ida Ladd Family Foundation

Dimensions9 1/2 x 8 x 5 in. (24.1 x 20.3 x 12.7 cm)

Object number2001.001.001

Label TextThe diminutive size of this bronze sculpture suggests it would have been placed on a personal shrine alongside other beloved deities in the Tibetan pantheon. Arrayed before them on a silk brocade cloth might have been diverse offerings of butter lamps, incense, water, flowers, and food – gifts of gratitude for the enlightened ones who point the way.

The Buddha of the future era, Maitreya, the “Loving One”, wears elaborate robes, crown, and jewels of a celestial bodhisattva – a future Buddha who resides in a heavenly realm until it is time to descend to earth to rekindle the Buddhist teachings. Maitreya’s hands and feet are marked with wheels representing the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddhas. His hands are raised in the teaching gesture known as “turning the wheel of the Dharma”. His throne is decorated with peacocks and lions, symbolizing his nobility and compassionate nature.

The inscription across Maitreya’s throne indicates that the statue was commissioned by a woman names Palmo Kyi. Many Tibetans are devoted to Maitreya, praying to be reborn among his disciples in the distant future when he becomes Buddha on earth.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2004 - August 29, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, August 28, 2021 - Present
Published ReferencesChristie's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art (March 22, 2000), 92-93, lot 93.

ProvenanceEx coll., Europe, until March 22, 2000. Purchased for MCCM by Robert Walzer [Nathan Rubin - Ida Ladd Family Foundation], Georgetown, Connecticut, from Christie's New York, Sale 9390, March 22, 2000, lot 93.

Status

On view

Collections