The Loeb: Tibetan Bodhisattva Figure

The Loeb contains statues of Buddhist bodhisattvas from Japan’s Edo period and 15th century Tibet. The small Tibetan bodhisattva figure is made from gilt bronze, suggesting that it was a time consuming process that required someone skilled to complete it. The larger Japanese bodhisattva is made from gilt cypress wood with many intricate details such as the giant headdress and the necklace. The intricacy of both figures indicate that they were made with special care and with astonishing craftsmanship. The size of the figures suggest that their purposes were different: the Tibetan bodhisattva would have been part of a larger collection in a temple, or it would have been for personal use; the Japanese figure would have been a central figure in
The material is gilt bronze, meaning that the bronze is covered lightly in gold paint. Bronze would have been a difficult material to work with because of the small scale and intricacy of the statue; it has miniature bronze beads decorating multiple parts, such as the headdress and the rim of the base. Additionally, the artisan would have to prepare the casting so that the figure would have indents to place color stones into them. The small scale of the figure would have forced the craftsman to be attentive to the details, ensuring that the small details such as the necklace would remain present once the bronze was poured into the casting. At a closer inspection of the figure, the viewer can see that the figure was created in two separate parts; it was attached at the waist to the legs. This would have made the the process twice as long because it would have to be repeated twice. In the end, this indicates that whoever commissioned and created this had a great devotion to completing such a long bronzing
The cypress wood material influences the viewer to infer the amount of time that was put into creating the bodhisattva. The wood is completely smooth and gilded to create shadows and patterns on the bodhisattva’s clothing. The clothing has several patterns adorning it with a similar line work to that of the Tibetan bodhisattva. The amount of time to carve and smooth out the wood on a large figure this intricate would require an excess of time and skill; thus, the value of the bodhisattva’s worth is increased due to these qualities. Sizing of some of the detailing, specifically in the headdress, speaks to the caution that the craftsman had to have so that pieces would not be too thin or break off at the slightest touch. Moreover, the artisan had to plan the headdress down to the finest detail because of the hanging ornaments that are attached to it. The hanging ornaments and base of the headdress must balance each other so that neither are unstable and have the risk of being broken off. The in-depth use of the gilded cypress wood demonstrates how invaluable and important the bodhisattva