The Buddha Amida

anonymous, c. 1125 - c. 1175

Amida (the Buddha of the Western Paradise) is still popular in Japan. To be reborn in the Western Paradise requires a firm faith in Amida and the repeated chanting of his name. This figure’s soft, round face is characteristic of Japanese Buddha sculptures from the 12th century. The elegant facial features have been stylized, as have the hands and the drapery folds.

  • Artwork typefigure, sculpture
  • Object numberAK-MAK-294
  • Dimensionsheight 87 cm x width 71 cm x depth 56.5 cm x weight 11.6 kg
  • Physical characteristicswood, traces of lacquer

Identification

  • Title(s)

    The Buddha Amida

  • Object type

  • Object number

    AK-MAK-294

  • Description

    Een houten beeld met resten van versiering van zwart lak en goudfolie van Amida Nyorai (Boeddha Amitabha), zittend in lotus-houding, de vingers van beide handen licht gekromd, met de toppen van wijsvinger en duim die elkaar raken - de mudra van onderricht, onderwijs.

Creation

  • Creation

    anonymous, Japan

  • Dating

    c. 1125 - c. 1175

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  • School / Style

Material and technique

  • Physical description

    wood, traces of lacquer

  • Dimensions

    height 87 cm x width 71 cm x depth 56.5 cm x weight 11.6 kg

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    On loan from the Royal Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase J.G. Figgess, Tokyo, 1960)

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; from J.G. Figgess, Tokio, £ 2.500, with support from the Vereniging Rembrandt, to the Vereniging van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst, 1960;{Note RMA.} from whom on loan to the museum, 1972

Documentation

    • V. Harris en K. Matsushima, Kamakura : The Renaissance of Japanese Sculpture 1185-1333, London (The British Museum) 1991.
    • Menno Fitski, 'Kijk op Japan', Aziatische Kunst 35/1 (2005), pp. 14-26.
    • H. Washizuka et al., Enlightenment Embodied : The Art of the Japanese Buddhist Sculptor (7th-14th Centuries), New York (Japan Society) 1997, p. 16-19, 40-46.

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  • The Buddha Amida
  • The Buddha Amida
  • The Buddha Amida
  • The Buddha Amida
  • The Buddha Amida
  • The Buddha Amida