Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra)
Seated in a posture called the lotus, this serene 12th-century Buddha rests his hands and feet atop one another as he gazes downward, his eyelids lowered, the touch of a smile on his lips. The symbols that distinguish him as a great being—such as the urna on his forehead and ushnisha on top of his head—are delicately carved in the hard granite.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- Granite
- Dimensions
- 160 × 120.2 × 56.3 cm (63 × 47 5/16 × 22 3/16 in.)
- Origin
- Nagapattinam
- Department
- Arts of Asia
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image provider
- art-institute-chicago
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Andrew Brown
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Deities and Holy Figures Both · 99%
The catalog identifies the subject as Buddha Shakyamuni, and the image presents a sacred anthropomorphic figure.
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Human Figure Both · 99%
The work depicts a complete seated human-form figure identified by the museum as Buddha Shakyamuni.
Visual Qualities
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Symmetrical Visual · 97%
The frontal composition is organized around a strong vertical axis, with closely balanced facial features, shoulders, arms, and crossed legs.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The image clearly shows a freestanding carved stone figure, and the museum classifies the work as sculpture.
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Carving Visual · 96%
The figure, facial features, curls, garment, hands, and crossed legs are visibly carved in stone.
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Frontal Perspective Both · 96%
The sculpture is presented directly toward the viewer in a centered frontal view.
Time Periods
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1000 - 1400 CE Art Metadata · 97%
The museum dates the work to about 1101–1200, within the 1000–1400 CE period.
Geographic Regions
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South Asian Art Metadata · 99%
The museum locates the work in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, and lists South Asian among its styles.
Materials
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Stone Metadata · 99%
The catalog gives the medium as granite and also classifies the work as stone.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Buddhist Art and Architecture Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the figure as Buddha and describes its original association with a Buddhist monastic site.
Source & rights
India Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra). The Art Institute of Chicago.