The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 10, 2024

Bodhisattva Maitreya: The Future Buddha

Bodhisattva Maitreya: The Future Buddha

1100s
silver inlaid with turquoise, copper, brass and gold; gilt bronze lotus
Overall: 32.4 cm (12 3/4 in.)
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1982.48
Location: not on view

Description

Dressed as a prince like all bodhisattvas, Maitreya is identifiable by the pot of nectar of immortality above his left shoulder. According to Buddhists, Maitreya will be reborn in the distant future to renew and reestablish the religion of Buddhism on earth, like the historical Buddha Shakyamuni did in the 400s BC. The blue paint on his hair indicates that this sculpture was used in Tibet. It was probably brought to Tibet, likely during the 1100s to 1200s when Buddhists relocated en masse from politically unstable northeastern India to Nepal and Tibet, where Buddhism was expanding and Indian masters, texts, and art were in high demand.
  • The Pan-Asian Collection, New York, NY
    ?–1982
    (Robert H. Ellsworth [1929–2014], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1982–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Schroeder, Ulrich von. Indo-Tibetan Bronzes. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, 1981. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 71F, pp. 286–287
    Ghose, Rajeshwari, Puay-peng Ho, and Chuntang Yang. Fa xiang chuan zhen: gu dai fo jiao yi shu [法相傳真 : 古代佛教兿術; In the footsteps of the Buddha: an iconic journey from India to China]. Hong Kong: Xianggang da xue mei shu bo wu guan, 1998. cat. no. 28, p. 185
    Weldon, David, and Jane Casey Singer. The sculptural heritage of Tibet: Buddhist art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection. London: Laurence King Publishing, 1999. figs. 15-16, pp. 22–23
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Masterworks on Loan: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Cleveland Museum of Art: April through June 2016. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 24–25
    Sotheby's New York. Masterpieces from the Nyingjei Lam Collection. 21 March 2023. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 29, fig. 1
  • In the Footsteps of Buddha: An Iconic Journey from India to China. University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (September 26-December 15, 1998).
    Images of Enlightenment: Gems from Buddhist Art of Asia. Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (September 26-December 15, 1998).
    Sacred India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1985-January 12, 1986).
    The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983).
  • {{cite web|title=Bodhisattva Maitreya: The Future Buddha|url=false|author=|year=1100s|access-date=10 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1982.48