Scenes from the Life of Buddha
Unknown Artist
100s CE
Medium
schist
Dimensions
68 × 41.3 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of George P. Bickford
Accession Number
1958.474
About this artwork
In this compact narrative relief, which was made to adorn a Buddhist stupa, scenes from the early life of the Buddha are depicted in order from top to bottom. His birth is at the top. The infant, now broken, is being received by Indra, King of the Gods, from the right side of his mother, who is depicted like a tree deity, grasping a branch with one hand. The baby Buddha miraculously took seven steps immediately after he was born, as indicated by the standing diminutive figure at the left of the ...