Cleveland Museum of Art

Seated Buddha

Date

400–430 CE

Medium

red mottled sandstone

Culture

Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Gupta period (c. 320-550)

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This rare depiction of a seated Buddha from Mathura, datable to the first half of the 5th century, displays a new vision for the form of the Buddha, in comparison to the way he was depicted during the preceding Kushan period. His appearance remains otherworldly, but his form has relaxed and the cloth softened, as seen in the way the cascading hem falls from the arm over his left leg. Traces survive of the rearing griffins of his throne and his elegant halo, which was filled with scrolling vegetation-typical features of Buddha images from this period.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.