Important Cultural PropertyBodhisattva sitting with his legs half-crossed

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  • 1 statue
  • Cast bronze, gold-plated
  • Statue H17.5
  • Asuka period/7-8th century
  • Tokyo National Museum
  • N-161

The sculpturing style of this image is unconventional. The pendant left leg is much smaller and shorter than the right leg, which sticks out from below the left leg and the upper end of the kun (skirt) is flipped over in all directions. However, this image also features a free and easygoing sculpturing style common to that of the images of the late seventh century. It can be said, therefore, that this image falls under the category of Hakuho sculpture of Japan.
The top of the head, the neck and the lower half of the back of the pedestal have been tinkered with due to a casting failure. The image is hollowed out below the hips and the upper half of the body is solid. The thickness of the copper below the hips (a hollow area) is thick and almost even. While mold cavities are spread all over the image, the big ones are concentrated in the area from the chest to the neck and in the pedestal. There is an inlay treatment in the lower part of the outside of the upper left arm. The renju (a pattern of raised beads placed in a row) motif on the chest ornament is engraved with a nanako chisel. Gold plating remains over almost the entire surface of the image except the reverse side of the head ornaments and the hair. For coloring, only ultramarine on the hair remains. The entire inner surface of the pedestal is painted in red (tan).

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