Seated Shakyamuni Buddha

c. AD 120

Seated Shakyamuni Buddha, c. AD 120. Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Kushan Period. Red mottled sandstone; overall: 51.4 cm (20 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1970.63 This early form of the Buddha image depicts him seated on an altar under the Bodhi tree. A coiled topknot of hair and elongated earlobes refer to his life as a prince when he wore a turban and heavy earrings. Behind his head is a solar disk, like a halo, and lions on the throne indicate the spreading of his teachings in all four directions.