NARRATOR:
This spectacular bronze from Kashmir is the crown jewel of Himalayan art in the Norton Simon Museum. The intricate bronze casting is a technical tour-de-force. The three tiers comprise a remarkable expression of religious hierarchy and aesthetic unity.
The lowest register depicts the animal realm. Deer, lions, goats, and sheep nestle among rocks and caves. Predators and prey coexist peacefully, emphasizing the spirit of nonviolence and tranquility in the Buddha's presence.
The middle, human world is allotted twice the space. At the center, a playful couple cavorts in a cave. On either side, figures of monks and donors kneel in homage before the Buddha. Their poses are repeated by two bodhisattvas, one at either side of the piece. They literally form a bridge to the celestial realm above.
At the pinnacle, Buddha sits on a richly decorated cushion, in the double lotus position of deepest meditation. His right hand is extended in the earth-touching gesture, symbolizing his triumph over earthly temptations at the moment of his enlightenment.
Buddha Shakyamuni and Adorants on Mount Meru
c. 700
Asia: India, Kashmir
On View
This masterpiece of Indian metal sculpture is one of the most sumptuous Buddhist altarpieces to have survived from Kashmir. Buddha Shakyamuni sits in the meditation posture on a thick cushion covered with lavish carpets. Beneath him is a rocky formation divided into three realms—animal, human and celestial—from bottom to top. The probable intent is to represent the historical Buddha as a transcendental figure seated on the cosmic mountain Meru, which is considered to be the center of the universe.
Details
- Title: Buddha Shakyamuni and Adorants on Mount Meru
- Date: c. 700
- Medium: Bronze with silver and copper inlay
- Dimensions: 13 1/4 x 9 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. (33.7 x 24.1 x 12.1 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1972.48.2.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure
- Art Institute of Chicago, 2003-04-05 to 2003-08-17
In the Land of Snow: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-03-28 to 2014-08-25
Painting and Sculpture from Nepal, Tibet and Northwest India
- Norton Simon Museum, 1994-09-22 to 1997-06-01
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Marg, fig. 15 p, 61, 67, 73
- Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 8 p. 28
- Fisher, Robert E., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 1 pp. 49-50
- Casey, Jane, Arts of Asia, no. 12 p. 110
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 1973, fig. 5 pp. 731, 733
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Bronzes of Kashmir, 1975, no. 22 p. 92
- Schroeder, Ulrich von, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, 1981, pl. 6, no. 16A pp. 98, 118
- Neven, A.; M. Postel and K. Mankodi, Antiquities of Himachal, 1985, fig. 104
- Pal, Pratapaditya, American Collectors of Asian Art, 1986, fig. 15 pp. 125, 131, 137
- Pal, Pratapaditya, The Great Tradition: Indian Bronze Masterpieces, 1988, fig. 4 p. 92
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 2 pp. 13, 30-33, 34, 36, 44
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, 2003, fig. 3 (detail), no. 62 pp. 17, 104-105
- Marg, 2004, fig. 4 p. 59
- Rademacher, Cay, GEO EPOCHE: Das Magazin fur Geschichte, 2007, p. 30
- Twist, Rebecca L., Patronage, Devotion and Politics: A Buddhological Study of the Patola Sahi Dynasty's Visual Record, 2010, Fig A.19 p. 272
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 884 p. 348
- Meher McArthur, Highlights of Buddhist Art at the Norton Simon Museum, 2018,
- Various; (Cat. No. 10 by Christian Luczanits), Himalayan Art in 108 Objects, 2023, No. 10 pp. 64-67, p. 64 (ill.), cover
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