Pensive Bodhisattva

Low relief sandstone carving of a Bodhisattva. The figure is shown in three-quarter view, seated in the ‘pensive pose’, with head slightly inclined to the right and cheek resting lightly on the fingers of the raised right hand. His right elbow is placed on the drawn-up right leg that rests on the opposite pendant leg. His left hand loosely clasps the ankle of the opposite leg. The Bodhisattva’s elongated face has rounded cheeks, arched eyebrows, a broad nose and a small bud-like mouth. His head is crowned by a flaring, foliate tiara from which ribbons descend. The bare, upper torso is ornamented by a collared necklace, and a shawl is draped over the shoulders, falling in wide, shallow folds at the front. Traces of pigment are visible on the light grey sandstone.

Provenance:

An East Coast university museum collection, USA.

Both from the stylistic point of view and from the fact that it is sandstone, this figure may well come from the Yungang cave temples. See Seiichi Mizuno and Toshio Nagahiro, ‘Yun-Kang: The Buddhist Cave-Temples of the Fifth Century A.D. in North China’, volume 15, Kyoto, 1955, plate 86 for a view of Cave 39 showing several apparently similar meditating Bodhisattvas, generally placed in pairs on either side of a figure of Buddha.

The seated ‘pensive figure’ – with one leg crossed over the other and head resting on the hand – was a popular depiction in fifth and sixth century Chinese Buddhist sculpture. The figure is also found depicted independently and sometimes given the context of an arching jambu (roseapple) tree (or ginko tree). These pensive figures are generally identified as Maitreya – the Buddha of the Future – in the Tusita Heaven. Occasionally, it is clear from the surrounding narrative carvings that the figure is Siddha - rtha1 – when for instance one of the incidents from his life story is illustrated.

1 Junghee Lee, ‘The Origins and Development of the Pensive Bodhisattva Images of Asia’, Artibus Asiae, volume 53: 3/4, Zürich, 1993, pages 311 - 357, where the author argues that the pensive figure in this position depicted in early Chinese Buddhist sculpture is usually Prince Siddhartha.




		1 Sandstone Bodhisattva Northern Wei period, 386 - 535 Height: 42.0cm
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		Low relief sandstone carving of a Bodhisattva. The figure is shown in three-quarter view, seated in the ‘pensive pose’, with head slightly inclined to the right and cheek resting lightly on the fingers of the raised right hand. His right elbow is placed on the drawn-up right leg that rests on the opposite pendant leg. His left hand loosely clasps the ankle of the opposite leg. The Bodhisattva’s elongated face has rounded cheeks, arched eyebrows, a broad nose and a small bud-like mouth. His head is crowned by a flaring, foliate tiara from which ribbons descend. The bare, upper torso is ornamented by a collared necklace, and a shawl is draped over the shoulders, falling in wide, shallow folds at the front. Traces of pigment are visible on the light grey sandstone. Provenance: An East Coast university museum collection, USA. Both from the stylistic point of view and from the fact that it is sandstone, this figure may well come from the Yungang cave temples. See Seiichi Mizuno and Toshio Nagahiro, ‘Yun-Kang: The Buddhist Cave-Temples of the Fifth Century A.D. in North China’, volume 15, Kyoto, 1955, plate 86 for a view of Cave 39 showing several apparently similar meditating Bodhisattvas, generally placed in pairs on either side of a figure of Buddha. The seated ‘pensive figure’ – with one leg crossed over the other and head resting on the hand – was a popular depiction in fifth and sixth century Chinese Buddhist sculpture. The figure is also found depicted independently and sometimes given the context of an arching jambu (roseapple) tree (or ginko tree). These pensive figures are generally identified as Maitreya – the Buddha of the Future – in the Tusita Heaven. Occasionally, it is clear from the surrounding narrative carvings that the figure is Siddha - rtha1 – when for instance one of the incidents from his life story is illustrated. 1 Junghee Lee, ‘The Origins and Development of the Pensive Bodhisattva Images of Asia’, Artibus Asiae, volume 53: 3/4, Zürich, 1993, pages 311 - 357, where the author argues that the pensive figure in this position depicted in early Chinese Buddhist sculpture is usually Prince Siddhartha.