figure
- Museum number
- 1950,0726.1
- Title
- Object: Padmapāṇi.
- Description
-
Seated Bodhisattva with a lotus in his left hand. The uttarīya is worn in the narrow mode, looping in the lap in high relief almost at right angles to the body; on the left arm the thicker fabric at the elbow is incomplete but may have continued onto the back of the arm or leg. The paridhāna forms curved ends in front.
The oval head is asymmetrical with long and narrow eyes under edges of rounded section for eyebrows; the crudely shaped upper lip, mouth, chin and thin nose are out of true, the chin especially pointing to the right; the ūrṇā is high and off-centre in the forehead. The turban has flat retaining bands with beaded and undulating motifs in between emerging on each side from a lotus cup beside a large globular central bead, and on both sides a large flanking rosette connects strings of beads crossing the head behind a large crest and falling from the piriform ornament in front. To the back and at each side is a vertical loop and a pleated end of cloth below emerging from under the bands, and from the ears hang lion protome earrings with short strings of beads falling from their mouths.
The torso, modelled with raised breasts and nipples, navel and slightly raised abdomen, turns, especially lower down, to the right. On the upper right arm are remains of the strut for the forearm. The toes of the bare feet are long and cylindrical with summary nails. The collar is set with stones forming a central flower flanked by stones of pointed leaf shape; the long chain necklace of multiple strands has a large cylindrical bead between lotus-cup terminals; strings of beads, connected as on the preceding piece, loop over the right shoulder and a double cord, bound at intervals, carries a crescentic amulet and two cylindrical boxes with oblong strips of inlay and mounted or capped at each end. On the left wrist is a double bracelet and two bands survive from the right armlet.
The lotus held by the Bodhisattva has a prominent gynoecium, and the stamens and a double row of double-outlined centrally grooved petals point away from it along the thin stalk which, held between his index finger and thumb, curves into the palm.
The Bodhisattva sits on a lotus with stamens and three rows of centrally grooved petals with double outline pointing downwards. At the bottom, on each side, is a kneeling monk with bare right shoulder, hands joined and, on the surviving head, globular eyes and projecting ears.
- Production date
- 2ndC-3rdC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 54 centimetres
-
Weight: 20 kilograms
-
Width: 31.40 centimetres
-
Depth: 12.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Zwalf 1996:
Perhaps this is a Padmapani Bodhisattva turned to his right and with right hand and possibly index finger originally raised to the head; this is the type now commonly called the pensive Bodhisattva. The epithet Padmapani (‘lotus-in-hand’) describes a form of Avalokiteśvara who is called Padmapani in later iconography, and early examples of such figures are now often taken to be this bodhisattva. Besides instances on reliefs, separate images of seated and turbaned figures with the hands in meditation may have a lotus pendent from them or, in other postures, hold a lotus by its stalk in one hand, as in this particular piece.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2010 Aug 4 – Nov 15, China, Shanghai Museum, ‘India: The Art of the Temple’
2015 24 Sept-15 Nov, Seoul, National Museum of Korea, Masterpieces of Early Buddhist Scultpure
- Condition
- 1.Light grey schist, broken and with heavy soil incrustation.
2.Halo partly lost; part of garment damaged beside lost right forearm; bottom roughly flat.
3.Back with horizontal chisel grooves.
- Acquisition date
- 1950
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1950,0726.1
