Artwork Page for Temptation of Buddha by the Evil Forces of Mara

Details / Information for Temptation of Buddha by the Evil Forces of Mara

Temptation of Buddha by the Evil Forces of Mara

700s

Northern India, Kashmir, 8th century

Medium
ivory with gold and polychrome
Measurements
Overall: 13 x 8.9 cm (5 1/8 x 3 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.18
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Intimate shrines for personal meditation practices contained scenes from the life of the Buddha. In an episode just prior to his achievement of enlightenment, the Buddha sat in meditation and faced personifications of the final obstacles. In this exquisite rendering derived from the Greco-Roman realism of Gandharan art, demons attack him in an attempt to scare him off the path. Seductive women do their best to distract him. He remains placid and firm in his conviction that these beings have no inherent reality, and he renders them powerless.
A painted, light brown ivory sculpture depicts the Buddha seated cross-legged while women and demons a fifth his size arch over him, the edges cut into a sharp, slightly curved rectangular sculpture. The Buddha places his left hand face-up on his lap, his right draped over his right knee, and wears a red, rippling robe over his left shoulder. His skin is painted gold and his black hair features rows of knobs.

Temptation of Buddha by the Evil Forces of Mara

700s

Northern India, Kashmir, 8th century

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