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Buddha
 Buddha
India, probably Bihar; late 6th century
Copper alloy
1979.8
In this rare and important bronze image from eastern India, the Buddha
raises his right hand in the gesture of reassurance (abhaya mudra) and
holds a piece of unattached cloth in his left hand. This cloth reflects
a misunderstanding of an earlier tradition in which the Buddha holds the
ends of his robes in his left hand. As in most representations, the Buddha
wears the traditional garments of a monk. These consist of two large rectangular
pieces of cloth, one wrapped around his waist and the other draped over
his shoulders; the two layers can be seen where the hemlines fall at different
levels. The stylization of the folds of this Buddha's nearly transparent
robe follows conventions established in Mathura (north-central India)
in the last quarter of the 5th century.
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