Buddha, Sarnath School, 6th-7th Centuries, London, British Museum
Date
Authors
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Description
A deepening spiritualization of the Buddha remains centered in the Sarnath school of sculpture well into the 7th century when the majority of northern art begins to show a decreasing amount of refinement, and a somewhat mannered elaboration sets in, Gentleness and grace are inherent in the physical type of such Buddhas, though somewhat disproportionately at times, while the holy character of the Buddha's personality is played upon emphatically, As we have seen, an ambivalence has always existed to the human side of the master, and occasionally it is replaced with his spiritual nature as if afraid to make the Enlightened One too close to worldly affairs and thereby stifle his uniqueness, Notice how the figure softly leans to the right and the eyes restuflly gaze downward, One can imagine a devotee at the feet of this image looking up into this gaze,
Citation
Collections
Source
Type
Archives Series
Basham Collection
Date created
circa 1970s
Access Statement
License Rights
This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
DOI
Restricted until
Downloads
File
Description