This well-preserved sculpture of a seated Maitreya depicts the future Buddha preaching in the Tusita Heaven before his final appearance and enlightenment on earth. He is seated with his ankles crossed, typical of Maitreya imagery, and with his hands in the darmachakrapravartanamudra, or turning the wheel of the law gesture. The two figures that flank Maitreya are likely the patron of the sculpture and her preceptor, a monk.
Details
- Title: Bodhisattva Maitreya
- Date: 3rd-4th century
- Medium: Schist
- Dimensions: 22-1/4 x 12-1/2 in. (56.5 x 31.8 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation, from the Estate of Jennifer Jones Simon
- Accession Number: M.2010.1.79.S
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
- McArthur, Meher, Reading Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Guide to Buddhist Signs and Symbols, 2002, ill. 1 pp. 32-33
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, no. 32 p. 65
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1291 p. 390
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