Object Details
Label
This meditative Buddha has seen the ravages of time, including losses, breaks, and erosion of the surface pigment. Originally the hair was painted blue, the flesh was gilded, and the robe was lacquered red, with gold filling in the incised lines that pattern the textile.
The date assigned to this statue has been revised several times during the twentieth century. When acquired in 1916, it was dated to the twelfth century or earlier. In 1962, radiocarbon testing was conducted, and the ivory was dated to between 1550 and 1750. The curator assigned a date of circa 1750 for the carving.
Now similar stone and bronze figures from the fifteenth century are well known, and recently revised scientific standards for calibrating the results of radiocarbon tests suggest a date of between 1440 and 1660 for the tusk itself. A few scholars still disagree about the date of this Buddha. A similar ivory in a London museum has been estimated to date to between 1200 and 1350 based on a slight Tibetan cast to the figure, but the arguments for such an early date are not persuasive. The Tibetan features of the Freer's Buddha are so fully assimilated that a date of circa 1450-1550 seems likely, and scientific evidence supports this conclusion.
Provenance
To 1916
Lai-Yuan and Company, New York, to 1916 [1]
From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Lai-Yuan and Company in 1916 [2]
From 1920
The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 897, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in New Light (April 14, 2002 to September 8, 2003)
Previous custodian or owner
Lai-Yuan & Company (ca. 1915-April 1921) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
1440-1550
Period
Ming dynasty
Accession Number
F1916.159a-c
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Ivory, traces of gilding, lacquer, and azurite
Dimensions
H x W x D: 31.1 x 25.4 x 16.3 cm (12 1/4 x 10 x 6 7/16 in)
Origin
China
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
lacquer
Buddhism
Buddha
Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
China
Chinese Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1916.159a-c