The Seated Buddha

Maia Rubin AH17 - Seated Buddha, dated 338, gilt bronze, h. 16”
The Seated Buddha, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period, is the earliest known Buddha sculpture from China. Words are inscripted at the rear of the statue that indicate that it was created in the year 338. Today this seated Buddha is displayed at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California. Taking into account the size of the statue and the spread of Buddhism through Central Asia and Mongolia, this Buddha could have belonged to a nomadic family.
The majority of the Buddha sculpture is a tarnished bronze shade with exceptions for the right knee, hair, and the fold at the neck. The right knee and the crown of the head have turned a grey-green shade from wear and age. The neck fold, creviced between the robust torso
and full chin, is still a shiny bronze. The Buddha’s head is tilted downward the slightest bit, a content look on his face. He sits cross legged, legs partially covered by the front and loose sleeves of his robe. When the sculpture was first created it was coated in gold using a mercury amalgam. Much of the back of the Buddha was left bare because that section would not have been visible when the halo was in place. Behind the right ear of the Buddha are flecks of black paint or lacquer and not of gold which suggest that the scalp area was not gilded.
When viewed from the front, the Buddha’s broad shoulders make him appear to be full figured but from the side one can see how slim the statue actually is.
At the back of the Buddha’s head there is a rectangular appendage that would have held a vertical halo. Flowing robes cover the Buddha’s body with cascading creasing found predominantly along the arms section. The collar of the robes hang loosely around the neck of the statue. A curved bib pattern radiates from the collar folds all the way down to partially cover the crossed legs. His hands rest in his lap, right hand over left. Details of the Buddha’s hands are etched in, elongated fingers defined by straight lines. Even his fingernails are clearly defined in the bronze. The Buddha’s body is positioned on top of a simple, square, bronze throne, three holes in the shape of a triangle on the front and the remnants of an inscription on the back.The throne that the Buddha is seated on has lines running parallel to the throne edges to form an inner outline of the form. The three punctures at the front of the throne most likely once attached to separate casts of bodhisattvas or animals, depending on the identity and story of the
Buddha. Aside from the fact that the sculpture is known for being the earliest known Chinese Buddha figure, much of the peculiarity of the piece comes from it’s creation style. Lost-wax casts, imported from regions of India and Afghanistan, began to lose popularity as the Chinese turned to piece mold casting. As the cast making process changed so did the styles applied to the statues themselves. These types of family owned idols were often mass produced, the piece mold casting technique eased made it a lot easier for the manufacturers and the lost-wax cast technique became less used. Some of the features that symbolise aspects of the Buddha’s spiritual character are his long fingers, the topknot-like ushnisha, his relaxed rounded shoulders, the appearance of smooth skin, a wide chest, along with the Buddha’s peaceful sitting position. The ushnisha is a common characteristic amongst Buddhas, the shape being used to represent wisdom, spirituality, and a Buddha’s dedication to achieving enlightenment.