Buddha Shakyamuni
c. 1100
Asia: India, Tamil Nadu
On View

This impressive Buddha sits in the classic meditation posture known as paryankasana, with his hands placed palm side up on the sole of his right foot. This sculpture is from the southern Indian coastal town of Nagapattinam, where Buddhism flourished under the primarily Hindu Chola rulers. A distinctive feature of Nagapattinam Buddhas is their flame-embellished cranial bump (ushnisha), which signifies transcendental knowledge.

Details

  • Title: Buddha Shakyamuni
  • Date: c. 1100
  • Medium: Granite
  • Dimensions: 50 x 37 x 16 in. (127 x 94 x 40.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
  • Accession Number: F.1975.17.03.S
  • Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation

Object Information

  • Knoke, Christine, Arts of Asia, p. 63
  • Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 15 p. 30
  • Oriental Art, p. 240
  • McKinnon, E. Edwards, Oriental Art, pp. 19, 24
  • Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 184 pp. 258-259
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1243 p. 386

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