Two Seated Buddhas｜Nara National Museum

Two Seated Buddhas

Gilt bronze
Total H: 12.3
China, Northern Wei dynasty　6th century
Zhengshi 1　504

D003790

D003790
1992/12/02

D003792
1992/12/02

A024216
1992/12/02

A024218
1992/12/02

A024219
1992/12/02

A024220
1992/12/02

A024221
1992/12/02

A024222
1992/12/02

A024223
1992/12/02

A024224
1992/12/02

A024225
1992/12/02

This sculpture depicts a scene from the “Vision of the Jewelled Pagoda” chapter (J. Kenhōtōhon) of the Lotus Sutra in which a pagoda, containing the buddhas Śākyamuni and Prabhūtaratna seated side-by-side, emerges from the ground. The form is simple, but the finely chiseled lines are dynamic. The work is thought to have been created by non-professional artisans.
Audio guide

These two Buddhas seated shoulder-to-shoulder and performing meditation mudras depict Sakyamuni and Prabhutaratna as described in the Kenhōtōbon passage of the Lotus Sutra. Their form is simple, but the vivid carving and brilliant gilding are impressive, making it a choice example of a Northern Wei small gilt bronze Buddha sculpture.

Yasuo Inamoto
Masterworks from the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall at the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2010, p.136, no.168.

Accession Number	1271-0
Category	Sculptures
Bibliography	Masterworks from the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall at the Nara National Museum, 2022, 194p. Masterworks from the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall at the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2013, 168p. Masterworks from the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall at the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2012, 168p. Masterworks from the Nara Buddhist Sculpture Hall at the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2010, 160p.