Images
https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=318389A91B90FEED606795069EA87E9B673D67F948FAD67EC1B1EF0D42306621&s=24247294&se=1634078423&v=0&f=1942.1082_o2.jpg
https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=9AF4C0768033146D0B330E1C457E859C140474B690FD64C767742BD50A4FC3B4&s=24247294&se=1634078423&v=1&f=%5C1942.1082det01_o2.jpg
Aug 24, 2012
Aug 24, 2012
Amitabha
Amitabha
阿彌陀佛
mid-1000s
China, Yunnan province, Dali kingdom
(938–1253)
Gilt bronze
Overall: 23 cm (9 1/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1942.1082
Location
Download and Share
Did you know?
This gilt bronze Buddha is similar in style to another rare piece in the Shanghai Museum, which bears an inscription dating it to 1043, the second year of the Shengming reign of the Dali kingdom.
Description
This delicately crafted statue of Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, bears testimony to the flowering of Buddhist art under the Liao Empire established by the Khitans, a nomadic Mongolian people, after the Tang persecution of Buddhists in 845.
The Liao rulers were devout Buddhists who commissioned substantial religious projects. Liao Buddhist artifacts reflecting close ties to the Tang traditions were likely executed by displaced or enslaved artisans as a result of the Khitan conquest of northern China.
Contact us
The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.
To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.
All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.