The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 12, 2025

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic

early 1300s

China, Yuan dynasty

(1271–1368)
gilt bronze with polychromy
Overall: 44.2 x 31.8 cm (17 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1966.116
Location: 241C Chinese Buddhist Sculptures

Did You Know?

Although the historical Buddha is here portrayed during a time of spiritual discipline and abstention from earthly pleasures, his robe has a sumptuous, elaborately decorated border.

Description

This statue is of monumental scale and exceptionally fine workmanship. A work of this size and quality was likely to have been made in the official workshops under imperial auspices. The image of the ascetic Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha) is both powerful and immediate. Shakyamuni is portrayed in a state of contemplative meditation with closed eyes and an inward smile. He leans forward, head and hands resting on an upraised knee. The representation speaks eloquently of his withdrawal from the world to attain self-realization. It recalls another famous iconic image in the Cleveland collection depicting Shakyamuni descending from the mountains after enlightenment, CMA 1970.2.
  • 1940s?–1961
    (Eduard Lingero, Belgium, sold to Claude De Marteau)
    1961–1966
    (Claude De Marteau [d. 2017], Brussels, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1966–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • “Art of Asia Recently Acquired by American Museums, 1966.” Archives of Asian Art 21 (1967): 75–103. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 78–79, fig. 14 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 261 archive.org
    Lee, Sherman E. “Golden Anniversary Acquisitions: September 10 through October 16.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 53, no. 7 (September 1966): 181–285. Mentioned: no. 153, pp. 271, 285; Reproduced: no. 153, p. 270 www.jstor.org
    Lee, Sherman E., and Wai-kam Ho. Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art; [distributed by the Press of Case Western Reserve University], 1968. Reproduced: Pl. 18
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 261 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 345 archive.org
    Snellgrove, David L., and Jean Boisselier. The Image of the Buddha. 1st ed. Tokyo, Paris: Kodansha International ; Unesco, 1978. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 375, plate 297, p. 374
    Dursun, Brian A. The Art of the Oriental Bronze Metallurgist, China, Korea, Japan 1500 B.C. - A.D. 1911: [Exhibition] Lowe Art Museum/University of Miami, January 19 - February 26, 1978. Coral Gables, FL: The Museum, 1978.
    Schroeder, Ulrich von. Indo-Tibetan Bronzes. 1st ed. Hong Kong, Glattbrugg, Switzerland: Visual Dharma Publications; Sole distributor, Nanda Distribution, 1981. Mentioned: no. 143E, p. 514; Reproduced: p. 515
    Guo li gu gong bo wu yuan 國立故宮博物院. Hai wai yi zhen. fo xiang [海外遺珎. 佛像= Chinese art in overseas collections. Buddhist sculpture]. Taibei Shi: Guo li gu gong bo wu yuan, 1986. Reproduced: pl. 159
    Rogers, Howard. "Questioning Authority." Orientations (Jan/Feb 2005) vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 56–63. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 62
    Béguin, Gilles. Buddhist Art : An Historical and Cultural Journey. English ed. Bangkok: River Books, 2009. Reproduced: p. 329, fig. 110
    Jules Speelman: 8 at 80. Hong Kong: Bonhams, 2025. Reproduced: p. 38
  • Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992).
    The Art of the Oriental Bronze Metallurgist. Lowe Art Museum, Miami, FL (organizer) (January 19-February 26, 1978).
    The Art of the Oriental Metallurgist; China, Korea, Japan, 1500 BC to AD 1912. The Lowe Art Museum, The University of Miami, Miami, FL (January 19-February 26, 1978).
    Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yüan Dynasty, 1279-1368. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 1-November 24, 1968). Asia House, New York, NY (January 16-March 2, 1969).
  • {{cite web|title=Shakyamuni as an Ascetic|url=false|author=|year=early 1300s|access-date=12 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.116