Object Details
Label
Images of the Buddha are usually gilded because one of the thirty-two characteristics that marked the Buddha at birth was skin that shone like gold. Chinese Buddists interpreted the golden color as an expression of the Buddha's sunlike spiritual radiance, his inner purity, and the inestimable worth of his teachings.
Provenance
?
S.H. Minkenhof Collection, Amsterdam and New York, NY [1]
From at least 1967-?
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan B. Hart, New York, NY [2]
?-1977
Eskenazi Ltd., London, England [3]
1977-?
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York or the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, purchased from Eskenazi Ltd., London, England [4]
?-2006
The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York, NY [5]
From 2006
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York, NY
Notes:
[1] See Lee, Sherman, E., and Wai-kam Ho. Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968.
See Curatorial Remark 4 in the object record. See also object file, Collections Management Office.
[2] The object the object was listed as belonging to the Hart Collection, New York in 1967. See Munsterberg, Hugo. Chinese Buddhist Bronzes. Rutland, Vermont and Tokyo, Japan: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1967. See also Lee, Sherman, E., and Wai-kam Ho. Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty, 1279-1368. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968.
[3] See invoice from Eskenazi, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
[4] The invoice from Eskenazi 1977 is addressed to both Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation. It is unclear whether the object was purchased directly by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation or first by Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987). See invoice from Eskenazi, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.
[5] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History
Gold: The Asian Touch (September 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006)
The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)
Chinese Art under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty (1279 -1368) (October 2, 1968 to March 2, 1969)
Previous custodian or owner
S. H. Minkenhof
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan B. Hart
Eskenazi Ltd. (founded 1923)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (founded 1965)
Credit Line
Gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
Date
907-1125
Period
Liao dynasty
Accession Number
S2006.7
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Bronze and gilt
Dimensions
H x W x D: 24.5 x 19 x 13 cm (9 5/8 x 7 1/2 x 5 1/8 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
casting
gilding
metal
bronze
Buddhism
Buddha
Liao dynasty (907 - 1125)
ushnisha
China
Vairocana Buddha
vajra mudra
Chinese Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S2006.7