Standing Buddha
This bronze Buddha is exceptional, because it carries an inscription on its base that dates its manufacture to the year 591. According to the inscription, the sculpture was dedicated by a nun who was from a village in Nepal, but she probably commissioned it at a workshop in northern India.The Buddha's robe on this image has been left plain, without pleat lines to obscure the beauty of the contours of the body. Only the rippling scalloped clusters of the garment’s hem lend some sense of energy and subtle ornament to the composition.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.465 m, width 0.154 m, depth 0.134 m; without base: height 0.35 m, width 0.138 m, depth 0.105 m
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
9 tags
Subject Matter
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Deities and Holy Figures Both · 99%
The catalog title identifies the subject as a Buddha, while the image shows recognizable Buddhist figural conventions including elongated earlobes, gathered hair, and a frontal sacred figure.
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Human Figure Both · 99%
The image presents a complete modeled standing human figure, consistent with the catalog’s identification of a standing Buddha.
Visual Qualities
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Smooth Surface Both · 82%
Broad areas of the robe and body have relatively continuous, smooth modeled surfaces; the catalog specifically describes the robe as plain and without pleat lines.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The museum classifies the work as sculpture, and the image shows a freestanding three-dimensional figure on an integrated base.
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Frontal Perspective Visual · 86%
The figure is organized as a direct frontal presentation, with the face and torso oriented toward the viewer and the body centered on a vertical axis.
Time Periods
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500 - 1000 CE Art Metadata · 99%
The catalog dates the sculpture precisely to 591, within the 500–1000 CE period.
Geographic Regions
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Indian Art Metadata · 99%
The museum gives the place of origin as Northern India, Uttar Pradesh.
Materials
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Bronze Both · 99%
The museum identifies the medium as bronze, and the image shows a dark metallic sculptural surface.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Buddhist Art and Architecture Both · 98%
The catalog identifies the figure as a Buddha and places the work in Indian and Southeast Asian art; the image supports its Buddhist identification through the figure’s iconographic appearance.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Standing Buddha. Cleveland Museum of Art.