Bodhisattva, probably Maitreya, Seated in Royal Ease
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This bronze ranks foremost in the small corpus of late Pyu metal Buddhist icons. It depicts a bodhisattva, likely the Buddha of the Future, Maitreya, seated in royal ease (rajalilasana). He wears an elaborate diadem and crown festooned with hanging garlands of jewels and pearls; the cylindrical form at the summit is likely intended to represent a stupa, Maitreya’s identifier. The statue’s discovery at Bagan is probably a legacy of the Burmese conquest of the southern Pyu cities and the transfer of much Pyu Buddhist culture to the new capital.
cat. no. 145
cat. no. 145
Artwork Details
- Title: Bodhisattva, probably Maitreya, Seated in Royal Ease
- Date: ca. 8th–9th century
- Culture: Central Myanmar
- Medium: Copper alloy with gilding
- Dimensions: H. 7 1/4 in. (17.8 cm); W. 4 in. (10.2 cm); D. 3 1/8 in. (8 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Lent by Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IM.39-1922)
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art