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Buddha Offering Protection

10th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 242
This grand Buddha gestures compassionate protection to devotees (abhaya mudra) with his raised right hand, while his left hand supports the sweeping fall of his monastic robe (uttarsanga). The facial features and bodily contour suggest that the work is a product of the early Polonnaruva Period.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Buddha Offering Protection
  • Period: Early Polonnaruva period
  • Date: 10th century
  • Culture: Sri Lanka, central plateau
  • Medium: Copper alloy with gilding
  • Dimensions: H. (figure) 23 3/4 in. (60.3 cm); W. 7 in. (17.8 cm); D. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Enid A. Haupt, 1993
  • Object Number: 1993.387.8
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara, Bronze with high tin content, Sri Lanka
Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara
Sri Lanka
ca. 8th century
Buddha Expounding the Dharma, Copper alloy, Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura)
Buddha Expounding the Dharma
Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura)
late 8th century
Avalokiteshvara, The Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, Bronze, Sri Lanka
Avalokiteshvara, The Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion
Sri Lanka
ca. 9th century
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, Bronze, Sri Lanka
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion
Sri Lanka
ca. late 7th–first half of the 8th century
Jambhala, God of Riches, Copper alloy, Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura
Jambhala, God of Riches
Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura
9th–10th century

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