ticketsMember | Make a donation

Buddha in Meditation

late 6th–mid- 7th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 899
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This meditating Buddha is among the earliest expressions in peninsular Thailand of a southern Indian–Sri Lankan style filtered through a local aesthetic. It exemplifies the early stylistic development of Buddhist art in the region, probably from the late sixth to the mid-seventh century. It relates to the meditating Buddhas produced in Sri Lanka during this period. The sculpture is beautifully proportioned and rendered, with a strong sense of asceticism. The Chaiya region was, and remains, renowned for its forest-monk tradition, which it shares with Sri Lankan Buddhism in which asceticism is highly revered.

cat. no. 42

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Buddha in Meditation
  • Date: late 6th–mid- 7th century
  • Culture: Southern Thailand
  • Medium: Sandstone
  • Dimensions: H. 41 5/16 in. (105 cm); W. est. 23 1/4 in. (59 cm); D. 14 15/16 in. (38 cm); Wt. 614 lbs (278.5 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by National Museum, Chaiya, Thailand (190)
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art