Description
This large gilt-bronze image of the Buddha Maitreya was created in 443, during China’s Northern Wei dynasty (386–585). The smile on his face and the ridges forming the folds of his robes characterize gilt-bronze Buddhist statues of the era. There are also stylistic influences from cultures west of China, such as his coiled hairstyle and the strong muscles visible through his thin robes. These details come together to make this statue an important artifact for tracing the evolution of ancient Chinese Buddhist sculpture.
<Translated by Rachel Lam, Edited by Sheila Ryan>
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026