Reliquary(?) with Scenes from the Life of Buddha
Date: ca. 10th century / Culture: India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) or Pakistan : Medium: Bone with traces of color and gold paint / Dimensions: H. 5 3/8 in. (13.6 cm); W. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); D. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm) / Classification: Sculpture
This container likely served as a Buddhist reliquary. There are three scenes: the first shows the miraculous birth of Siddhartha, the historical Buddha. He emerges from the right side of his mother, Queen Maya, who is supported by her sister, Mahaprajapati. The second scene depicts the temptation of Siddhartha as he meditates at Bodhgaya immediately before attaining enlightenment. The third scene is a rare representation of the crowned and jeweled Buddha setting into motion the wheel of law, a reference to his first sermon at the Deer Park at Sarnath.
Vajrasattava
Date: 8th century / Culture:India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) / Medium: Brass with silver inlay / Dimensions:H. 6 5/8 in. (16.9 cm); W. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm); D. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm) / Classification: Sculpture
The Esoteric Buddhist deity Vajrasattva holds a stylized thunderbolt and a bell and sits in royal ease on a stylized mountain, with his pendant foot supported by a lotus bloom. Two snake deities, a naga and nagini, emerge from the mountain’s waters and raise their hands in veneration of Vajrasattva’s transcendent wisdom.
Panel of a Portable Buddhist Shrine with Dancer and Musician Celebrants
Date:8th century / Culture:India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) / Medium:Ivory with traces of color / Dimensions:H. 1 7/16 in. (3.6 cm); W. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm) / Classification:Ivories
Crowned Buddha
Date:9th century / Culture:India, Ancient kingdom of Kashmir / Medium:Brass / Dimensions: H. 20 3/8 in. x W. 9 in. (51.8cm x 22.9 cm); D. (from hands) 3 in. (7.6 cm) / Classification: Sculpture
The Buddha is usually depicted in a monk’s simple garments; however, when he wears rich jewelry and a crown, he evokes the special form of Buddha as a cakravartin, or universal monarch. In Kashmir this form also recalls the splendor of the Buddha in heaven, where he reveals himself to the bodhisattvas. Both the high tripartite diadem and tasseled cape reflect Central Asian influence on Kashmiri Buddhist art of this period.
Crowned and Jeweled Buddha
Date:ca. 9th century / Culture:India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) / Medium:Copper with silver inlay / Dimensions:H. 7 1/16 in. (17.9 cm); W. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm) /Classification:Metalwork
Buddha sits in a yogic posture, wearing a high tripartite crown and fully articulated robes. His lowered hand grants boons to the male donor kneeling before him presenting an offering, likely a garland. The crown with flying ribbons demonstrates the powerful influence of Sasanian royal imagery on later Kashmiri art.
Panel of a Buddhist Ritual Crown with Ratnasambhava, the Transcendent Buddha of the South
Date:10th–11th century / Culture:India (Jammu and Kashmir) or western Tibet / Medium: Wood with traces of polychrome / Dimensions:H. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm); W. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm) / Classification:Sculpture
Ratnasambhava is one of the five Transcendent Buddhas of Esoteric Buddhism. Horses are his traditional mounts.
Bodhisattva in Contemplative Pose
Date:5th–6th century / Culture:India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) or Pakistan / Medium:Stone / Dimensions:H. 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm) / Classification: Sculpture
Buddha Bust
Date:8th century / Culture:India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) / Medium:Stone / Dimensions:Gr. H. 2 5/16 x Gr. W. 1 3/4 in. (5.9 x 4.5 cm) / Classification:Sculpture
Seated Shakyamuni
Date:9th century / Culture:India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) / Medium:Bronze / Dimensions:H. 6 5/8 × W. 3 in. (16.8 × 7.6 cm) / Classification:Sculpture
Seated Headless Buddha
Date:8th century or earlier / Culture:India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) / Medium:Terracotta / Dimensions:H. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm) /Classification:Sculpture
Buddha
Date:7th–8th century / Culture:India (Kashmir region) / Medium:Brass inlaid with copper and silver / Dimensions:H. 3 7/8 x W. 2 1/2 x D. 1 3/8 in. (9.8 x 6.4 x 3.5 cm) / Classification:Sculpture
Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future
Date:7th century / Culture:India (Jammu and Kashmir) or Pakistan (Swat Valley) / Medium:Bronze inlaid with silver / Dimensions:H. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm) / Classification:Sculpture
The messianic savior Maitreya is identified by the flask he holds in his lower hand. He is seated in a yogic posture on a double-lotus cushion and extends spiritual protection to believers with his raised hand, here displayed with the palm facing inwards, not outwards as is conventional. This icon has a superbly preserved metal surface, complete with silver inlay on the eyes and forehead mark (urna). The raised ornamentation reflects an awareness of Gupta design. The figure and base were cast separately, and the lotus base is inscribed on the reverse with a donor dedication.
Preaching Buddha
Date: 8th century / Culture:India (Jammu & Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) or Pakistan / Medium:Bronze with silver inlay / Dimensions:H. 8 3/8 in. (21.3 cm) / Classification:Sculpture
This Buddha, with his legs folded in a full yogic posture and his hands gesturing preaching, invokes the first sermon at Sarnath. The complex treatment of the monastic robes, most notably their pleated ends, is evidence of an unidentified monastic workshop, probably located in Kashmir or the Swat Valley. The treatment of the hair curls is unconventional, as is the extreme stylization of the eyes and eyebrow. Silver inlay marks the eyes and auspicious forehead mark (urna).