NARRATOR:
Maitreya, whose Sanskrit name means "benevolent" or "friendly," is unique in Buddhism—he is worshipped both as a bodhisattva of the present era and as the Buddha of the future. A bodhisattva is a being who is able to escape the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, but chooses to remain active in the world in order to help others along the path to enlightenment. Unlike Buddhas, who wear the robes of monks, bodhisattvas are arrayed as princely figures, with elaborate hairdos and lots of jewelry.
You can identify Maitreya by the small, decorated water bottle he holds in his left hand, which contains the elixir of immortality. His right hand, now broken off, was probably raised with the palm facing outwards, making the gesture of reassurance.
This standing image of Maitreya from the 3rd century typifies the art of Gandhara, a kingdom that covered parts of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. The art of Gandhara incorporates stylistic elements from ancient Greece and Rome. You can see the Western influence in Maitreya’s garment, which resembles a toga, and in the realistic details of his facial features, hair, and muscled torso. Indian traditions are evident in the superhuman physical marks that convey Maitreya’s advanced spiritual state—they include the small circle between his eyebrows, which is called an urna, a symbol of his exalted nature.
Bodhisattva Maitreya
2nd-3rd century
Asia: Pakistan; Asia: Gandhara
On View
Made in Gandhara, in what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan, this sculpture reflects the international style that was present in this ancient kingdom. Gandhara was located along the Silk Road, the primary mercantile route that connected the East to the West. Buddhist images from this region were influenced by Greco-Roman examples.
The ushnisha or cranial protuberance of this Maitreya is interpreted as a luscious chignon, similar to those used for images of Greek gods and goddesses. The figure wears two necklaces one of which has a charm depicting Poseidon, a god with Greek origins. This suggests that there was a certain degree of religious tolerance in Gandhara at the time of this sculpture’s making. Moreover, the inclusion of this charm along with the figure’s shoes and the relaxed manner in which he wears his robe, suggests that images of male deities were modeled after kings.
Details
- Title: Bodhisattva Maitreya
- Date: 2nd-3rd century
- Medium: Schist
- Dimensions: 69 x 28 x 10 in. (175.3 x 71.1 x 25.4 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.04.1.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Beyond Beauty: Antiquities as Evidence
- J. Paul Getty Museum, 1997-12-16 to 1999-01-17
- Leoshko, Janice, Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 7 pp. 11-12
- Lerner, Martin, The Connoisseur, fig. 2 p. 197
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Marg, fig. 7 pp. 60-61
- Knoke, Christine, Arts of Asia, p. 62
- Knoke, Christine, Minerva, fig. 4 p. 27
- Munsterberg, Hugo, Art of India and Southeast Asia, 1970, p. 36
- Pal, Pratapaditya, American Collectors of Asian Art, 1986, fig. 7 pp. 124-125
- Carter, Silk Road Art and Archaeology 6, 1999, pp. 9-10
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 30 pp. 62-63
- McArthur, Meher, The Arts of Asia: A Guide to the Materials, Techniques and Styles, 2005, p. 228
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1146 p. 376
- Meher McArthur, Highlights of Buddhist Art at the Norton Simon Museum, 2018,
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