Later Buddhist Art
Artist: unknown
Title: Buddha attended by a Buddha and bodhisattva
Material: Chunar sandstone
Site: Sarnath, near Varanasi, India
Current Location: Sarnath Museum, India
Period/Date: Gupta (dated 476-477 C.E.)
Iconography/Iconology: The symbolism of this group is unknown. While
there are both images of Buddhas attended by Buddhas and images of Buddhas
attended by bodhisattvas, this is the only known example of a Buddha attended
by one Buddha and one bodhisattva. The central figure was originally a
"standing traditional image of the Buddha.," displaying abhayamudra
." However, the fact that he stands on a lotus and has a pair of vidyadaras
flying to either side of where his head was originally suggests a more
complex iconography than the usual, traditional image.
Stylistic Comments: See previous page.
