The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic

early 1300s
(1271-1368)
gilt bronze with polychromy
Overall: 44.2 x 31.8 cm (17 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1966.116
Location: 241C Chinese Buddhist Sculptures

Did You Know?

Although the historical Buddha is here portrayed during a time of spiritual discipline and abstention from earthly pleasures, his robe has a sumptuous, elaborately decorated border.

Description

This statue is of monumental scale and exceptionally fine workmanship. A work of this size and quality was likely to have been made in the official workshops under imperial auspices. The image of the ascetic Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha) is both powerful and immediate. Shakyamuni is portrayed in a state of contemplative meditation with closed eyes and an inward smile. He leans forward, head and hands resting on an upraised knee. The representation speaks eloquently of his withdrawal from the world to attain self-realization. It recalls another famous iconic image in the Cleveland collection depicting Shakyamuni descending from the mountains after enlightenment, CMA 1970.2.
  • 1940s?–1961
    (Eduard Lingero, Belgium, sold to Claude De Marteau)
    1961–1966
    (Claude De Marteau [d. 2017], Brussels, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1966–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 261 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 261 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 345 archive.org
  • Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992).
    The Art of the Oriental Bronze Metallurgist. Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL (organizer) (January 19-February 26, 1978).
    The Art of the Oriental Metallurgist; China, Korea, Japan, 1500 BC to AD 1912, The Lowe Art Museum, The University of Miami, January 19-February 26, 1978, exh. cat.
    CMA, "Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty (1279-1368)," October 2-November 24, 1968; Asia House, NY, January 16-March 2, 1969
  • {{cite web|title=Shakyamuni as an Ascetic|url=false|author=|year=early 1300s|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.116