Dipankara Buddha
unknown (Nepalese)
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Alternate file
Date
1858Description
Overall view; According to some Buddhist traditions, Dīpankara (also Dīpamkara) was a Buddha of the past who reached enlightenment eons prior to Gautama, the historical Buddha. Portrayal of Dīpankara as standing is common in Nepal; he forms the Abhaya mudra with the right hand and the Varada (wish-granting gesture) with the left. The date of the statue using the Nepal Sambat lunar calendar is 978 N.S., which translates as 1858 CE, during the rule of Jang Bahadur Rana. Generally, during the Rana years, metalworkers from clans that had formerly specialized in producing images of gods (from both the Buddhist and the Hindu pantheons) were reduced to casting only bells, bowls, pots and other domestic utensils. But a few craftsmen were able to preserve and carry forward the lost-wax techniques and the sculptural traditions into the 20th century. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 4/9/2015)
Type of Work
sculpture (visual work)Subject
deities, Buddhism and art, Nepalese (culture or style)
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only