Gilt+Bronze+Shakyamuni+Buddha+and+Stand


 * Shakyamuni Buddha and Stand: A Gilt Bronze Statue from the Northern Wei Dynasty**

Gilt Bronze Shakyamuni Statue (Front and Back View) [|source]

Weighs 9 pounds (3954 g) Displayed in the Bronze section
 * Artwork Identification**
 * Title:**Gilt Bronze Shakyamuni Buddha and Stand
 * Artist:** Unknown
 * Country of Origin:**China
 * Culture:**Northern Wei Dynasty
 * Date:** Approximately 477 AD
 * Size:**16 inches (41 cm) tall
 * Accession text:**Chen Hui-hsia
 * Current location:**National Palace Museum in Taiwan

Prince Siddnartha Gotama ( who later became know as Shakayamuni Budda after reaching enlightenment) was born around 500 BCE. He lived in or near what is modern day [|Nepal]. Prince Siddnartha lived a rigorous life where he made emphsis on self decipline and spritual growth. Eventually Prince Siddnartha would go on to found the religion known as Buddhism, which over 300 million people still practice. Prince Siddnartha/Shakamuni's code stressed that everyone through concentrated individual effort and action can achieve enlightenment. Most Buddhist images/artworks are used for worship and/or learning purposes. While still unknown, may scholars believe that the standard image of the Budda is based on Shakyamuni's life and teachings. This sculpture, which is from the Wei Dynasty is one of the most important Buddhist Statues in the world because of it’s religious importance and its historical significance.
 * Introduction:**

The shape of this sculpture is straight forward. It consists of Buddha in a seated position resting on a four legged altar. The altar consists of two tiers. On the lower tier there sits two lions with their heads looking backwards to the center. Historically,in Buddhism, Lions were guardians of sacred buildings and temples. Iconically, the lion is a symbol of Shakyamuni. Who also carried the name Shakyasimha, which means "Lions of the Shaka Clan." The top tier consists of Buddha sitting in a robe with his right hand up and away from his body and his left hand on his robe. His robe is slightly opened revealing his right shoulder. The Buddha’s face is serene and calm. Behind the Buddha is a giant upside-down shaped U. This U-shaped piece has multiple intricate engravings on the back and the front.
 * Descriptive Analysis:**

The sculpture was made of one primary material and that would be bronze, but the makers put a thin layer of gold over the bronze. So for the viewer the sculpture looks like it was cast entirely from gold. The gilt gold has a slight red tint to it. The sculpture does not have a smooth surface. It has engravings on over ninety percent of the sculpture which gives it a very intricate look but a rough texture. The engravings are very small and depict stories to the viewer. The carvings cover the two tiered altar along with U-shaped backing behind the Buddha. (National Palace)

The sculpture, though having a great amount of detail on it, is not very large. Including the U-shaped piece the sculpture only stands at sixteen inches, or roughly forty-one centimeters. It weighs roughly nine pounds (3954g) because it is made of heavy bronze.

The Buddha and the tiered altar were cast together to create one sculpture. The U-shaped backing was cast separately and attached later on during the creation process. There are a couple of spots on the statue that suggest that the gilding has come off and the bronze beneath is being oxidized. On other spots of the statue the gilding seems to be cracking. "There are also scriptures on the far left and right of the bottom tier that are no longer legible" (National Palace). This might be from the handling of the piece, people picking it up and putting it down and wearing those areas off. However for it's age it is in excellent condition.

This piece was created during the Northern Wei Dynasty which was approximately between 386-581 AD. The piece was created somewhere near 477 AD which was the middle of the Wei dynasty. "The Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) is most noted for unifying northern China in 440. Since the Wei was also heavily involved in funding the arts, many precious antiques and art works from the period have been preserved" (Northern Wei).
 * Formal and Contextual Analysis:**

There are a lot of intriguing symbols through out this piece. Starting from the bottom and working our way up, it shows the two tiered altar. The bottom tier shows rolling waves and lotus flowers. On each side of the square base there are engravings of people making offerings, most likely to the Buddha that is sitting above them. The second tier, or top tier, is in the shape of a Mount Sumeru throne. Mount Sumeru is the legendary mountain where the God Vishnu lives, so saying that Buddha sits on Mount Sumeru is like saying Buddha is as important as the God Vishnu. There are also lotus flowers and lotus scrolls depicted alongside the throne.

Buddha himself is seated in the lotus position, which is meant to destroy all disease and awaken kundalini energy, or one’s dominant spiritual energy. In other words he is meditating to preserve his energy. "He depicts his right hand out which symbolizes fearlessness or ‘abhaya mudra’ and his left hand on his robe symbolizing ‘one’s self’" (The Theory of Buddhism).

The U-shaped piece of metal behind the Buddha is supposed to represent a halo radiating out from behind the Buddha. On either side of the halo there are engravings that depict stories. The front side of the halo depicts seven Buddha icons surrounding the main figure, each sitting in the same position. "On the outer rim of the halo it depicts U-shaped flames, which accentuates the shape of the halo and also adds to the grandeur of the sculpture" (National Palace).

On the back side of the halo there are other engravings. These engravings are very intricate and extremely close together but if looked at closely, it can be divided into three distinct sections. The top section depicts "Shakyamuni sitting next to Prabhutaratna in a tower" (Natioonal Palace). To the left of the tower one can see Manjusri who is holding a ‘ju-i’ scepter. A ju-i scepter represents authority and a person in charge. "On the right side of the tower one can see Vimalakirti who is holding a duster. This depicts the story in ‘Vimalakirti-nirdesa sutra’ where Manjusri is asking Vimalakirti about his illness" (National Palace). "In the middle section, we see Shakyamuni giving his first sermon in the deer park at Sarnath, with two monks, or bhiksu, to either side in meditation, as well as two [|bodhisattvas] " (National Palace Museum).
 * Top:**
 * Middle:**

The bottom section depicts Shakyamuni’s birth. It depicts him as an infant with one hand reaching towards the heavens and the other hand touching Earth. On the left of the infant is his mother, [|Queen Maya] standing next to a tree. A mature Shakyamuni is depicted emerging from behind the tree. The tree represents fertility, so by having Queen Maya standing besides it and a mature Shakyamuni emerging from it represents the birth of Shakyamuni himself. To the right of the infant Shakyamuni depicts the Dragon Kings bathing Shakyamuni while Brahman and Indra sit in meditation on either side (Gilt Bronze). Brahman represents everything (matter, energy, time, space tec.) and Indra represents weather and war and is the king of the Gods. The inscriptions on the far left and right side are no longer readable.
 * Bottom:**




 * References:**

National Palace Museum "Gilt Bronze Shakyamuni and Stand." 12 February 2009, [|http://][|www.npm.gov.tw/en/collection/selections_02.htm?docno=200&catno=19&pageno=4] (March 2009). -A website that shows and describes this piece of artwork. It is also the website of the museum that currently owns this piece.
 * Internet:**

Department of Asian Art. "Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386–589)". In //Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History//. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nsdy/hd_nsdy.htm (October 2002) -A website that explains the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

"Northern Wei." 10 January 2009, [] (April 2009). -A website that explains a little bit of the background of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the works of art that was creasted during that time.

"The Theory of Buddhism." 29 February 2009, [|http://www.buddhanet.net] (March 2009). -A website that explains the background of Buddhism.

"Definition of Shakyamuni" 10 March 2009, http://www.encyclopedia.com> (March 2009).


 * Printed:**

Juliano, Annette.//Buddhist Sculpture from China: Selections from thr Xi"an Beilin Museum Fifth through Ninth Centuries//. New York. China Institue, 2007

Leidy, Denise. //The Art of Buddhism: An Introduction to it's History and Meaning//. Boston. Shambala Publications, 2008.