Antiquity · Rijksmuseum · 200106516
The bodhisattva Maitreya
anonymous, Longmen, 500 - 525
Rijksmuseum · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · AK-MAK-71 · Public Domain · Bruikleen van de Koninklijke Vereniging van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst (schenking C.T. Loo, 1938) · Public domain
- Artist
- anonymous, Longmen
- Date
- 500 - 525
- Medium
- limestone
- Dimensions
- width 37.5 cm × height 46 cm × depth 8 cm
- Era
- Antiquity
Why it matters
Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, will appear during the following world cycle and rule an earthly paradise as successor to the Buddha. At present he is still in his heaven, awaiting his descent to earth. This figure comes from Longmen, a complex of Buddhist temples carved from the living rock. The fine stylization of the drapery and the facial features are typical of sculpture from this site.