Object Details
Label
Buddhist sacred texts (sutras) record the miraculous acts of the Historical Buddha soon after his birth. The infant took seven steps and pointed to heaven and earth, declaring himself to be the lord of the cosmos and savior of all sentient beings- an event depicted by this miniature sculpture cast in bronze. It is a rare example of a gilt-bronze image produced in Buddhism’s earliest phase in Japan, after its introduction from Korea in 538. This figure, standing on a base that was replaced later, closely resembles an image designated as an Important Cultural Property in the Shogenji, a Buddhist temple in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The style reflects the refined work of the Tori school of professional Buddhist sculptors who produced a bronze image of the Historical Buddha and two attendant bodhisattvas (enlightened beings), dated 623, for the Horyuji in Nara.
Provenance
?-1967
Takashi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts 古美術 柳, Kyoto, Japan, method of acquisition unknown[1]
1967-2005
Sylvan Barnet (1926-2015) and William Burto (1921-2013), purchased from Takashi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts, Kyoto,Japan [2]
From 2005
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto [3]
Notes:
[1] See Valerie C. Doran, “Professing the Love of Art: A Conversation with Sylvan Barnet and William Burto,” Orientations vol. 33, no. 8 (October 2002): p. 55. See also Shōichi Uehara, "Two Statues of Buddha at His Birth" in Kobijutsu, no. 22 (March 1971), 95-97. See also note 2.
[2] Sylvan Barnet and William Burto began collecting works of Japanese art in the 1960s, shortly after they began their careers as literature professors. They acquired this work in Kyoto Japan in 1971 from Takashi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts. See acquisition justification form, copy in object file.
[3] See deed of gift, signed November 28, 2005, object file.
Research updated July 22, 2024
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
The Beginnings of Buddhism in Japan (October 14, 2017 to October 28, 2018)
Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia (October 14, 2017 to February 6, 2022)
Art of the Gift: Recent Acquisitions (July 24 to December 13, 2015)
Faith and Form: Selected Calligraphy and Painting from the Japanese Religious Traditions (March 20 to July 18, 2004)
Religious Art of Japan (December 18, 2002 to January 4, 2015)
Previous custodian or owner
William Burto (1921-2013)
Sylvan Barnet (1926-2015)
Takashi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts
Credit Line
Gift of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto in honor of Yanagi Takashi
Date
7th century
Period
Asuka period
Accession Number
F2005.9a-b
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Gilt bronze
Dimensions
H x Diam (overall): 11.7 x 5.2 cm (4 5/8 x 2 1/16 in)
Origin
Japan
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
casting
gilding
metal
bronze
Buddhism
Buddha
Asuka period (552 - 710)
birth
Japan
Japanese Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F2005.9a-b