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The Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future

The Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. Culture: Nepal. Dimensions: H. 26 in. (66 cm); W. 8 1/4 in. (20.9 cm). Date: 11th century. Maitreya, the messianic bodhisattva characterized as the Buddha of the Future, stands in a graciously exaggerated posture, the body beautifully counterbalanced. He holds his raised hand in the gesture of exposition (vitarka mudra) and in his lowered hand displays a flask (kamandalu) universally understood in South Asian culture as the container of amrta, the elixir of life. In a Buddhist setting, the flask is understood as the promise of Maitreya's coming. The elegant aesthetics of this sculpture embody contemporary eastern Indian Pala styles, yet it displays a startling elegance combined with an almost austere economy of surface decoration: jewelry is restrained, textile patterns minimally suggested. The scale is exceptional, as is the aesthetic sensibility of the artist responsible for this work.
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Title: The Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future
Caption: The Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. Culture: Nepal. Dimensions: H. 26 in. (66 cm); W. 8 1/4 in. (20.9 cm). Date: 11th century. Maitreya, the messianic bodhisattva characterized as the Buddha of the Future, stands in a graciously exaggerated posture, the body beautifully counterbalanced. He holds his raised hand in the gesture of exposition (vitarka mudra) and in his lowered hand displays a flask (kamandalu) universally understood in South Asian culture as the container of amrta, the elixir of life. In a Buddhist setting, the flask is understood as the promise of Maitreya's coming. The elegant aesthetics of this sculpture embody contemporary eastern Indian Pala styles, yet it displays a startling elegance combined with an almost austere economy of surface decoration: jewelry is restrained, textile patterns minimally suggested. The scale is exceptional, as is the aesthetic sensibility of the artist responsible for this work.
Technique/material: Copper alloy with gilding and color
Period: Thakuri period
Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit: Album
Releases: ? Model Release: No - ? Property Release: No
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Image size: 3071 × 4094 px | 36.0 MB
Print size: 26.0 × 34.7 cm | 1209.1 × 1611.8 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: ASIA • ASIAN ART • COPPER ALLOY WITH GILDING AND COLOR • COPPER ALLOY • COPPER • COPPERWORK • FIGURES • GILT • METAL • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA • NEPAL • SCULPTURE • THAKURI PERIOD