Seated Amitabha
Unknown Artist
1300s
Medium
wood with lacquer and gilding
Dimensions
33 × 21 × 19.8 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Korean Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund and partial gift of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Roberta Carroll, M.D. in memory of Godfrey St. G. M. Gompertz
Accession Number
1995.67
About this artwork
In Buddhist art, buddhas (supreme beings who entered the world of nirvana) and bodhisattvas (compassionate beings committed to the attainment of enlightenment for others) are two main subjects. The religious role of buddhas and bodhisattvas—to lead all sentient beings to the realm of Buddhahood—is the same, yet visual languages to represent them is different. As shown in this statue, the Buddha is represented as a monk with shaven head and dressed in simple monastic robes. Bodhisattvas, on the o...