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Japanese Kamakura period (1185 - 1333)
AMIDA BUDDHA, 13th century
Wood with lacquer and gilt
Height 35 1/2 inches
Gift of Mrs. Harrie G. Carnell, 1935.1

Art in Context ART IN CONTEXT
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Art in Context

Art in CONTEXT

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A direct response to the increasing popularity of the "Pure Land" sect of Japanese Buddhism during the Kamakura period was the creation of many images of Amida Buddha, the principal deity of the sect. Seated here in the diamond posture of meditation, this statute depicts Amida in the gesture of argumentation that is commonly associated with Amida Raigo images. This carving could well represent a sculptural interpretation of this theme that is more frequently represented in paintings.

This wooden image has a tightly curled hairstyle with painted eyes and a rock-crystal insert on the forehead to imply the third eye of spiritual wisdom. A second crystal adorns the dome of wisdom on the top of the head. The figure is constructed from several joined blocks of wood and covered with black lacquer and gilt. The tranquility and grace of Amida Buddha are eloquently expressed in the downward-looking eyes, long and narrow in design with arched eyebrows. The fullness of the cheeks, expansive chest and stomach, and cascading pleats of the garment folds - sensitively designed with fluidity and undulating rhythms - are reminiscent of the work of the great Buddhist sculptor Kaikei (fl. 1185 - 1220); and this example is a likely product of his legacy.

Clarence W. Kelley

SUGGESTED READINGS:

Koytaro, Nishikawa, and Emily J. Sano. The Great Age of Japanese Buddhist Sculpture, A.D. 600-1300. Fort Worth, TX: Kimball Art Museum, 1982.

Mori, Hisashi. Sculpture of the Kamakura Period. Katherine Eickmann, trans. The Heibonsha Survey of the Japanese Art, Vol. 11. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heihonsha, 1974.

Pal, Pratapaditya, with essays by Robert L. Brown, Robert E. Fisher, George Kuwayama, and Amy G. Poster. The Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984.

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