Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Standing Buddha
(Southeast Asia )
The head of this sculpture reveals distinguishing marks of the Buddha, according to Buddhist scriptures. His earlobes are elongated from the heavy earrings he wore as a prince. After renouncing his life of privilege and becoming an ascetic, he cut his long hair as a sign of humility and was left with short tight curls. Above those curls is a cranial protuberance ("ushnisha") that indicates his enlightened state. The resulting tranquility is shown through a serene smile and relaxed eyelids. Additional marks of the Buddha, seen here, include an aquiline nose, a prominent chin, and arched eyebrows.
This Buddha would have stood erect with his hands, now missing, in a posture of either bestowing grace or allaying fears. The traces of black lacquer and gold paint allow us to imagine a magnificent image that gleamed in the light of a temple.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Luang Ban, Bangkok; Alexander B. Griswold, Monkton, Maryland, April 17 1951; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1992.
[1] Presented to the Breezewood Foundation, December 1962, inv. no. 154
Exhibitions
| 1995 | Unearthly Elegance: Buddhist Art from the Griswold Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 5/14/1993 | Treatment | cleaned; loss compensation; other |
| 7/10/1995 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 2/12/2019 | Treatment | media consolidation |
| 2/12/2019 | Treatment | Lifting lacquer was consolidated and stabilized. |
Geographies
Thailand (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 42 1/8 × W: 19 × D: 11 1/4 in. (107 × 48.3 × 28.6 cm); Mounted on plinth H: 90 × W: 30 1/8 × D: 2 1/4 in. (228.6 × 76.52 × 5.72 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of A. B. Griswold, 1992
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
25.164