The Seated Buddha With Attending Bodhisattvas

Throughout the course of history, religion has played a large part in the creation of artwork. We look to art as a way of expression of the artist’s beliefs and the time period in which it was created. This can be shown in the two examples used throughout the course of this paper, The Seated Buddha with Attending Bodhisattvas from the 6th century A.D. and The Virgin and Child from the late 1400’s. Each piece of artwork is representative of its artist and the time period in which it was created. The religions of Buddhism and Christianity play a large role in the creation of these two pieces.
The Seated Buddha with Attending Bodhisattva was purchased by the museum in 1934 and was the 34th piece purchased by the museum this year. This piece,
The figures on the front of the stele represent the triad symbolizing the Enlightenment of the Buddha. We are aware that these figures have to do with the enlightenment and Buddha because a Buddha is distinguished by 32 physical attributes. Among these are a bulge on the top of the head (ushnisha), a tuft of hair in between the eyebrows (urna), elongated earlobes and thousands of spoked circles (chakras) on the soles of the feet.” In this piece of artwork, the Buddha is identified through several features like the earlobes and Urna. Elongated earlobes are a significant feature of the Buddha and symbolize longevity. His earlobes are stretched during his years as a prince due to the heavy earrings he has been wearing. He will have a tuft of hair in-between his eyebrows. This is one of the more difficult signs to achieve and is a result of having served all of his superiors with respect. The Ushnisha is a large lump on the top of Buddha’s head and it is used to indicate extraordinary wisdom. This is the most difficult features to achieve and is the result of having always visualized his spiritual mentor on the crown of his head. Sakya-muni is flanked by two Bodhisattvas that are dressed in princely garb and are standing on lotus pedestals. The lotus pedestal and position are another of the 32 physical attributes correlated with the Buddha. The Buddha is seated in the
This throne like box that the Madonna and Child are sitting on, is representative of them being a higher power. They are positioned above the viewer and everyone else expressing the power that they hold but their facial expressions show the humbleness of the two figures. This piece shows the sense of a maternal bond that becomes increasingly more prevalent during this time period. The relationship between mother and son is shown in this representation due to the more tender expression on the face of the Madonna. It is believed that di Paris was very interested in the naturalistic rendering of the subjects based on the painted details on their hair and faces and the careful placement of the drapery. The coloring has a kind of solemnity that is difficult to describe. While a considerable amount of the color has been preserved through the years, the tones, primarily turquoise blues and reds, seem to bring a new view on the piece due to the passage of time. This coloring brings about a dulled richness due to fading throughout the years. The tones, especially the blues and reds, actually bring about an enhanced view to the sculpture due to the passage of