Buddha Sculptures Across Cultures

A collection of diverse Buddha statues from Southeast Asia, showcasing various artistic styles, materials, and historical periods, capturing serenity and spirituality.

Asian Civlisations Museum. Seated Buddha. Thaiand Sukhothai. 15th century. Bronze. Singapore.

'Buddha Maravijaya (Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness)'. Siam (now Thailand).Lanna art (Extreme North area), First half of the 16th century. Dimensions: h. 42,5 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

'Seated Crowned Buddha in the Meditation Pose'. Siam (now Thailand). Ayutthaya art, 17th century. Dimensions: h. 17 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Akshobhya, the Transcendent Buddha of the East 9th century Pakistan (Northwest Frontier Province, Swat Valley) Akshobhya is one of the five Transcendent Buddhas of Esoteric Buddhism. He sits on a tasseled throne supported by three crowned elephants, his traditional mounts.. Akshobhya, the Transcendent Buddha of the East 38990

Asian Civlisations Museum. Seated Buddha. Thaiand Sukhothai. 15th century. Bronze. Singapore.

Buddha Shakyamuni or the Jina Buddha Vairochana. India, Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir region, circa 725-750. Sculpture. Brass inlaid with silver

Vajrasattva, Vairocana, Anonymous, 870 - 930 Vaircocana, a figure, sitting in a rich ornate on a double lotus cushion resting on bronze pedestal. The manual attitude is the Bodhyagri-Mudra of the wisdom. Indonesia gold (metal). bronze (metal) casting Vaircocana, a figure, sitting in a rich ornate on a double lotus cushion resting on bronze pedestal. The manual attitude is the Bodhyagri-Mudra of the wisdom. Indonesia gold (metal). bronze (metal) casting

Buddha Shakyamuni or the Jina Buddha Akshobhya. Western Tibet, 14th century. Sculpture. Brass with paint

Vajradhara Buddha Seated Holding a Thunderbolt (Vajra) and Bell (Ghanta) 1401-1500 Southern Tibet. This silver gure, though adorned like a bodhisattva, is more likely the Buddha Vajradhara. It probably served as the center of a three-dimensional mandala. The Buddha sits in the meditation posture while holding a vajra (thunderbolt) and bell in a gesture known as vajrahumkara (the adamantine sound). Certain sects of Himalayan Buddhism consider Vajradhara the creator and supreme power. He is the originator of the Five Transcendental Buddhas and embodies shunyata (voidness).. Silver and semiprecious stones .

Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light, early 12th century, Unknown Japanese, 32 1/4 × 19 3/4 × 20 in. (81.92 × 50.17 × 50.8 cm), Japanese cypress with polychrome and gold, Japan, 12th century, Amida Nyorai, the Buddha of Limitless Light, is the salvific central figure of Pure Land Buddhist teachings. Believers who call on the name of Amida will be greeted by him and his retinue at the moment of death and transported to the western Pure Land. In this sculpture, which reflects the influence of the master Japanese sculptor Jōchō (d. 1057), Amida is seated with legs crossed in the full lotus position. He joins the index fingers and thumbs of both hands in a mudra (sacred gesture) of welcoming. Traces of the gold foil that once fully covered Amidas skin and the green, red, and black pigments of his clothing remain.

Buddhas Akjamuni; 19th century (1701-00-00-1900-00-00);

Jeweled and Crowned Buddha (Jambupati) 1601-1700 Burma. Bronze .

'Buddha Sitting'. China, 8th century. Dimensions: h. 38 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Antique Buddha Statue, Patan Museum, Patan, Kathmandu Valley, Himalaya Region, Nepal, Asia

Gold Buddha image found in the crypt of Wat Ratburana, AyutthayaThailand.

bodhisattva avalokitesvara, Chinese Song Dynasty Buddhist sculpture. 960-1279 AD

Two Statuettes of Padmapani, anonymous, 850 - 930 Sculpture of a sitting Padmapani (Avalokitesvara). Indonesia bronze (metal) Sculpture of a sitting Padmapani (Avalokitesvara). Indonesia bronze (metal)

Seated Guanyin, late 1100s-1200s. China, late Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) - Jin dynasty (1115-1234). Wood with polychromy and gilding; overall: 138 cm (54 5/16 in.).

Buddha Expounding the Dharma. Culture: Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura). Dimensions: H. 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm); W. 11 in. (7.9 cm); D. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm). Date: late 8th century.The quintessential icon of early Buddhist Sri Lanka is the Buddha gesturing vitarka-mudra, imparting his dharma to all. Seated in a meditative yogic posture, he wears the monk's uttarasanga, an untailored length of cloth drawn tautly around the body, with his right shoulder exposed in the southern manner of Buddhism. His hair is expressed in short, tight curls to evoke his renunciation of the material world, when he cut off his hair and gave away his princely adornments. The eye sockets were inlaid with precious stones or rock crystal to add a heightened level of realism. The flame-shaped head protuberance (ushniha) is one of the principal auspicious markings (lakshanas) of Buddhahood. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Seated Amitayus Buddha, c. 570s. China, Northern Qi dynasty (550-577). Marble; overall: 110 x 66.1 cm (43 5/16 x 26 in.). Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, is seated in meditation on a double lotus pedestal. The pedestal was not made with the statue but the combination is faithful to the original artistic conception. The statue is an extremely rare example of a major type of Northern Qi Buddhist sculpture. The heavy, massive front highlights the sense of monumentality and the spiritual essence of the Buddha. The pedestal exhibits the rich, ornate style of early Tang sculpture. It was commissioned by the Duke of Liang, Fang Xuanling (578-648), for the blessing of his second son and daughter-in-law, the Tang imperial princess of Gaoyang. The iconography and inscription suggest that it originally went with a statue, now missing, of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha.

Statue of Buddha against white background

Seated Buddha 15th century Thailand. Seated Buddha. Thailand. 15th century. Bronze. Sculpture

Teacher of the Gelugpa school (Tibetan: dGe-lugs-pa). unknown, sculptor

Seated Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Korea, Korean, Joseon (1392-1910), 15th-early 16th century. Sculpture. Cast bronze with gilding

Statue of the Shakyamuni Buddha, founder of the Buddhist religion. Dated 10th Century

Shuradatta, the Buddha of Alms-Giving. Central Tibet (by a Newar artist), circa 17th century. Sculpture. Gilt brass and paint

Statuette representing Buddha (late Yuan dynasty - early Ming dynasty), sandal wood

Ancient Buddha sculpture, bronze, from Myanmar

'Seated Disciple of the Buddha (Moggalana / Maudgalyayana )'. Siam (now Thailand). Lanna art (), 18th century (). Dimensions: h. 21,5 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Goddess Green Tara Seated with Hand in Gesture of Gift Giving (Varadamudra). Tibet; Southern Tibet. Date: 1301-1400. Dimensions: 16.9 x 11 x 10.2 cm (6 11/16 x 4 3/8 x 4 in.). Gilt bronze with red pigment and gemstones. Origin: Southern Tibet. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Seated Buddha, 1500s. China, Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Gilt bronze; overall: 9.9 cm (3 7/8 in.).

Bodhisattwa Awalokiteswar with a willow branch and a vessel for water unknown

BODHISATWE AWALOKITITITITHARA GUSINE PSA unknown

Jambhala, The Buddhist God of Riches. Nepal, dated 1643. Sculpture. Gilt copper

The Buddha rising up from lotus. Crimson and gilded wood, Trần-Hồ dynasty, 14th-15th century. Statue for worship. National Museum of Vietnamese History, Hanoi.

Akshobhya: the Buddha of the East, late 800s. Northeast India, Bihar, Kurkihar, Pala period. Bronze with silver and copper inlay; overall: 38.8 x 26.3 cm (15 1/4 x 10 3/8 in.).

Small old Buddha statue made of wood and glass, ca. 10 cm, shot from the left

Shrine with a Seated Male Deity, 1300s-1400s. South India, Kerala Style, c. 14th-15th century. Bronze ; overall: 53.5 x 23 x 21.5 cm (21 1/16 x 9 1/16 x 8 7/16 in.).

'Buddha Maravijaya (Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness)'. Siam (now Thailand).Lanna art (Extreme North area), Late 15th - early 16th century. Dimensions: h. 65 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Naga Buddha, 11th century, H.12 x W.6 x D.2-7/8 in. (overall), bronze, Cambodia, 11th century

Seated Gwanseum, Bodhisattva of Compassion. Korea, Korean, Joseon (1392-1910), 15th-early 16th century. Sculpture. Cast bronze with gilding

Buddha Maravijaya trimmed. Qualifier winner of the Buddha by the demon of temptation and death, Mara, and managed to attain enlightenment. 18th century, 19th century lacquered sculpture from Myanmar

Old Buddha sculpture, bronze, from China

Buddha statue

Bhaisajyaguru (the Buddha of healing and medicine) on a white background

Green Tara, Seated in Pose of Royal Ease (Lalitasana), with Lotus Stalks on Right Shoulder and Hands in Gestures of Reasoning (Vitarkamudra) and Gift Conferring (Varadamudra). China. Date: 1403-1424. Dimensions: 21.5 × 13.5 × 12.5 cm (8 1/2 × 5 1/4 × 4 7/8 in.). Gilt copper alloy with traces of pigment (lapis lazuli). Origin: China. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA. Author: Sino Tibetan.

The Mahasiddha (Great Adept) Naropa (956-1040). Central or Eastern Tibet, 15th-16th century. Sculpture. Gilt copper alloy with paint and silver

SeatedBuddha

Fragment of a Buddha image. Cup of Buddha with curly hair.

Post Women's (goddess Lakszmi); 20th century (1901-00-00-1940-00-00);

Asia, South Korea, Capital Seoul, National Museum Of Korea, Thinking Bodhisattva, Period Of The Three Kingdoms (7Th Century), Bronze, National Treasure N°83

Figure of Buddha 18th century China. Figure of Buddha 61987

Lotus-Enthroned Buddha Akshobhya, the Transcendent Buddha 8th-early 9th century Bangladesh (probably Comilla District) Akshobhya is one of the five Transcendent Buddhas of Esoteric Buddhism. Elephants are his traditional mount.. Lotus-Enthroned Buddha Akshobhya, the Transcendent Buddha 38940

The Buddha Satyamuni Chinese XVII century Buddhist

Portrait of Lama Tsongkhapa 1799-1899 Tibet. Gold . Sino Tibetan

Seishi Making the AnjaliMudra

Buddha image, Anonymous, 900 - 1100 Standing Buddha, right hand in Abhaya, left hand in Waradamudra, on pedestal. Sri Lanka bronze (metal) Standing Buddha, right hand in Abhaya, left hand in Waradamudra, on pedestal. Sri Lanka bronze (metal)

Bodhisattva Guanyin 15th-16th century China Bodhisattvas are usually adorned as royalty, with heavy jewelry, layered silk robes, and elaborate headdresses. At the center of Guanyins crown sits a cross-legged Buddha, the celestial Buddha Amitabha of the Western Paradise, from whose forehead Guanyin is said to have first emerged. The vase in Guanyins hands often appears in depictions of the bodhisattva in two special forms: White-Robed and Water-Moon Guanyin.. Bodhisattva Guanyin. China. 15th-16th century. Leaded brass. Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Sculpture

Seated Guanyin China. Seated Guanyin. China. Wood. Song dynasty (960-1279). Sculpture

Seated preaching Buddha, 7th-9th century, 7 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 1 7/16 in. (18.1 x 7.94 x 3.65 cm), Bronze, Thailand, Mon-Dvaravati style, This upright seated Buddha demonstrates the mixing of Mon-Dvaravati style with the earliest pan-Asian conventions. The depiction has characteristically plump lips, described as bee-stung in Indian texts from about the 400s CE. Yet his wide mouth, flat nose, continuous eyebrows, and wide-set eyes are hallmarks of the style during this Thai kingdom (c. 600s-1000s). The Buddhas right hand is in the gesture of exposition, or teaching, while the left is lowered to offer blessings. He sits relaxed in open-robe pose, with traditional attributes, such as distended earlobes (signifying the burdensome earrings of his former princely life), three beauty marks on the neck, a cranial protuberance, and hair in snail-shell curls. The slightly parted lips and raised corners of his mouth evoke other qualities, such as a sweet and resonant voice.

Head of Buddha. Indonesia, Central Java. Date: 801 AD-900 AD. Dimensions: 40.6 × 24.2 × 24.8 cm (16 × 9 1/2 × 9 3/4 in.). Andesite. Origin: Central Java. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

The Bodhisattva Jizō. Anonymous. Japan, late Heian period, circa 1070-1120. Sculpture. Wood

'Vajrasattva'. Kashmir, 11th century. Dimensions: height 11,5 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Statue of Green Tara on a white background

Budda Amitabha unknown

Head of Buddha Shakyamuni Thailand 15th-16th century This head of a Buddha belonged to a large-scale standing or seated image. That it was cast independently of the body is clear from the neck collar where it would have originally been riveted or soldered onto the torso. It has all the hallmarks of Buddhahood, the auspicious signs (lakshanas) that marked out the bodhisattva Shakyamuni as one destined for full awakening. These include the skull protuberance (ushnisha), here particularly pronounced. The distended earlobes and tufts of hair represented as clock-wise spirals, both of which resulted from the renunciation, are given prominence. Stylistically, it belongs to the high period of Buddha production in the early Ayutthaya period. While the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya is its probable place of casting, we cannot say with certainty, as the prevailing style was widely practiced in this period of political unity. View more. Head of Buddha Shakyamuni. Thailand. 15th-16th century. Bronze

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in the Water-Moon Manifestation (ShuiyueGuanyin)

Bodhisattva. Culture: China. Dimensions: H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); Diam. 5 in. (12.7 cm); D. 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm). Date: 10th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Golden Temple Buddhist Museum in Dambulla, Sri Lanka

Bodhisattva Manjushri ( ) 801 CE-1000 Central Java. Bronze .

'Crowned Buddha Maravijaya (Bodhisattva Maitreya )'. Siam (now Thailand). Bangkok art, Between 1850 and 1860. Dimensions: h. 15 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

The Hindu Goddess Shri Lakshmi. India, Odisha (Orissa), 17th-18th century. Sculpture. Brass

Buddha Statue Cleaner

Crowned Buddha Head. Central Thailand, 17th century. Sculpture. Copper alloy with gilding

Bodhisattva. Nepal, 10th century. Sculpture. Gilt repoussé copper alloy and rock crystal

Figure of a Lama. Culture: China. Dimensions: H. 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm). Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Old tantric Buddha sculpture in a mystical union with the wisdom partner, gilded, from Nepal

Crowned and Jeweled Buddha ca. 9th century India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir) Buddha sits in a yogic posture, wearing a high tripartite crown and fully articulated robes. His lowered hand grants boons to the male donor kneeling before him presenting an offering, likely a garland. The crown with flying ribbons demonstrates the powerful influence of Sasanian royal imagery on later Kashmiri art.. Crowned and Jeweled Buddha. India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir). ca. 9th century. Copper with silver inlay. Metalwork

Buddha Shakyamuni. Sri Lanka, Kandy period, 18th century. Gilt copper alloy with partial black coating

Buddhist deity Vajradhara in union with his consort Prajnaparamita 1403-24 probably Chinese or Tibetan. Buddhist deity Vajradhara in union with his consort Prajnaparamita. probably Chinese or Tibetan. 1403-24. Gilt brass with copper base and applied color.. Metalwork

The Bodhisattva Manjushri 18th Century A.D. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings.

Guimet museum. Bhai ajyaguru is commonly called the Medicine Buddha Sutra, as a bodhisattva who made twelve great vows. Japan 18 th century. Paris. France.

Bodhisattva, 900s-1100s. Japan, Heian period (794-1185). Gilded wood; overall: 18.8 x 13.8 cm (7 3/8 x 5 7/16 in.).

The Sultanganj Buddha, 500-700. Artist unknown.. Cast by the lost-wax technique on a clay core, this 6th to 7th Century bronze statue was excavated by E B Harris, a railway engineer, at Sultanganj, the state of Bihar, in northern India during the course of railway construction in 1862.

Seated Buddha. Culture: Thailand. Dimensions: H. 29 5/8 in. (75.2 cm); Gr. W. 19 3/4 in. (50.2 cm); Gr. Diam. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm). Date: 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Head ofPrajnaparamita

Vajrasattva, Style of Angkor Vat 12th Century Cambodian Art Bronze Private Collection

Seated FemaleBodhisattva

Detail of a Standing Bodhisattva, 2nd century A. C. crop composed to be used as icon

Guanyin; XVII century (1601-00-00-1700-00-00);

Bodhisattva 12th century Nepal (Kathmandu Valley). Bodhisattva 38360

Buddha Giving the First Sermon (Dharmachakrapravartanamudra) 995 CE-1005 Bihar. Black stone .

Seated Surya (God of the Sun) 9th century Nepal (Kathmandu Valley). Seated Surya (God of the Sun) 39356

Seated Male Deity Holding Two Ritual Objects last quarter of the 10th-first half of the 11th century Indonesia (Java, Ndangjuk) Small sculptures such as these (1987.142.5, .7-.9) are now identified as images from a larger set that were used to create a three-dimensional mandala. Two complete mandalas of this type have been discovered in Indonesia, one in the village of Chandi Reja in 1913 and another more recently at Surucolo. Both groups are thought to represent a Diamond World or Vajradhatu Mandala, thereby linking these images to the traditions of East Asia in which mandalas of this type are also preserved.Their small size indicates that these figures would once have been used to define the outer regions of a three-dimensional mandala. These Indonesia sculptures, bodhisattvas that function as attendant or retinue deities, have been linked to a commentary written in the reign of the Pala ruler Mahipala, sometime during the last quarter of the tenth and the first half of the eleventh

Wooden Guanyin from China. Dated 12th Century

Amoghasiddhi, the Transcendent Buddha of the North late 10th-early 11th century Western Tibet Amoghasiddhi is one of the five Transcendent Buddhas of Esoteric Buddhism. He displays a four-pronged visvavajra, or thunderbolt emblem, signifying the lightning speed of enlightenment offered by the esoteric path. Garuda, his traditional mount, kneels beneath the architectural throne support. Stylistically, this icon has clear debts to the greater Kashmiri world but was likely produced in western Tibet.. Amoghasiddhi, the Transcendent Buddha of the North 38258

Seated Buddha in Bhumisparsha Pose , 12th century. Bronze, height: 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm). Asian Art 12th century

Bodhisattva Padmapani Seated in Royal Ease ca. 10th century Thailand (Khorat Plateau) Sculptures in this style are primarily based on Pala-period prototypes from India.. Bodhisattva Padmapani Seated in Royal Ease. Thailand (Khorat Plateau). ca. 10th century. Bronze. Sculpture

. Here the Buddhist deity Guanyin, saviour of people in peril, is represented meditating on a rock. According to legend, he was once found in this position, meditating on the reflection of the moon in water, a symbol of illusion and transience in Buddhism. His pose and face embody inner peace and concentration.

Vak, an Emination of the Buddha Amitabha, 900s. Nepal, c. 10th century. Bronze; overall: 13 cm (5 1/8 in.).

Portrait of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal 18th century Bhutan. Portrait of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Bhutan. 18th century. Clay with polychrome, cold gold, and gilding. Sculpture

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