ticketsMember | Make a donation

Buddha Vairocana (Dari)

11th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 207
This Buddha holds his hands in a “wisdom fist,” a gesture in which the left hand grasps the index finger of the right hand. This identifies him as Vairocana, one of the many celestial, or transcendent, Buddhas who were particularly important in China from the sixth through tenth centuries. Vairocana often makes this gesture when he is depicted at the center of the Womb World Mandala, and it is possible that this beautifully cast sculpture was once part of a larger grouping of images arranged as a mandala, or cosmic diagram.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 遼 鎏金青銅大日如來像
  • Title: Buddha Vairocana (Dari)
  • Period: Liao dynasty (907–1125)
  • Date: 11th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Gilt bronze; lost-wax cast
  • Dimensions: H. 8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm); W. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); D. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm); Diam. of base 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2006
  • Object Number: 2006.284
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, with five knots of hair (Wuji wenshu), Gilt bronze; lost-wax cast, China
Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, with five knots of hair (Wuji wenshu)
China
mid-11th century
The Spiritual Master Padmasambhava, Copper alloy with copper and silver inlay, Western Tibet or Ladakh
The Spiritual Master Padmasambhava
Western Tibet or Ladakh
14th century
Buddha Shakyamuni, Brass with colored pigments, Central Tibet
Buddha Shakyamuni
Central Tibet
12th century
Bottle with Peony Scroll , Porcelain painted with cobalt blue under a transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware), China

Bottle with Peony Scroll

China
mid-14th century
Twenty-One Emanations of the Goddess Tara, Stone with polychrome, Tibet
Twenty-One Emanations of the Goddess Tara
Tibet
14th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.