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Buddha Draped in Robes Portraying the Realms of Desire — still image

Medieval · № 226

Buddha Draped in Robes Portraying the Realms of Desire

Unknown Chinese sculptor · 550-577 CE

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Object record

Buddha Draped in Robes Portraying the Realms of Desire

Smithsonian source metadata identifies the work as Northern Qi limestone from Anyang, Henan, China. The object is also known as the Cosmic Buddha.

Maker
Unknown Chinese sculptor
Date
550-577 CE
Place
Asia
Material
Limestone
Dimensions
H 151.3 cm x W 62.9 cm x D 31.3 cm
Current collection
Freer Gallery 17: Promise of Paradise: Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
Source: Smithsonian 3D / National Museum of Asian Art ↗

Scroll for object details ↓

The robe carries carved images of the realms of desire across the chest, shoulders, and back. The program continues around the body, so a single frontal view does not show the whole design.
Wall text from Sacred Forms
The Northern Qi carver used the robe as a picture plane, working the realms of desire into the limestone drapery. The imagery is part of the figure’s surface as well as its iconography.
Wall text from The Work of the Surface

How to use the model

Examine the work from more than one angle.

Use the 3D view to inspect the overall form, then zoom in to compare surface, joins, and tool marks. Lighting controls can make shallow carving and material changes easier to see.

Maker
Unknown Chinese sculptor
Date
550-577 CE
Place
Asia
Material
Limestone
Dimensions
H 151.3 cm x W 62.9 cm x D 31.3 cm
Current collection
Freer Gallery 17: Promise of Paradise: Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
Source
Smithsonian 3D / National Museum of Asian Art ↗
Rights
CC0 1.0

Related exhibitions

This work appears in

03Sacred FormsView exhibition ↗05The Work of the SurfaceView exhibition ↗

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