Buddha dated 338Asian Art Museum
An Important Date
The date 338 indicated on its base makes this the earliest known dated bronze Buddha image produced in China. Created about 400 years after Buddhism was first transmitted from the Indian subcontinent, this sculpture has helped scholars trace the development of Chinese Buddhist art.
Buddha dated 338 (2019)Asian Art Museum
This animation highlights where the date 338 is indicated on the base.
Buddha dated 338 Buddha dated 338 (Late Zhao period (319-351))Asian Art Museum
The Arrival of Buddhism in China
In the second century, Buddhist monks from the Indian subcontinent began translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese. But it was only after the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 that Buddhism became widespread throughout the region. The religion offered an end to the cycle of suffering to members of all levels of society, which may have been particularly appealing during this time of social and political upheaval.
Buddha dated 338 rear viewAsian Art Museum
The Indian Monk Fotudeng
The inscription mentions the Late Zhao, a northern state founded by non-Han Chinese people from Central Asia who controlled China’s Central Plain during the fourth century. The state’s rulers regarded the Indian monk Fotudeng (died 348) as their principal religious counsel and military adviser in the campaigns they undertook to extend their territory.
Buddha dated 338Asian Art Museum
Scholars speculate that Fotudeng may have inspired Shi Hu, the third king of the Late Zhao, to commission this statue. In 338, Shi Hu captured more than forty cities in the Central Plain. This Buddha was produced the same year.
Indra and Brahma entreat the Buddha to preach (approx. 50-100)Asian Art Museum
Comparison with Early Buddhas
There is significant debate about when and why the first images of the Buddha were created, but they likely predate the Buddha dated 338 by a few centuries. Some of the earliest Buddha images are second-century sculptures from Mathura in central India and Gandhara to India’s northwest, such as the one you see here.
The deities Pharro and Ardokhsho (perhaps 200-300)Asian Art Museum
A cosmopolitan region with strong ties to the Greek and Roman world, ancient Gandhara connected trade routes between Europe and Asia, and its art shows echoes of eastern Mediterranean art that spread to China.
Portable shrineThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Scholars believe that small sculptures along with Buddhist texts and paintings were carried from Gandhara into China, inspiring artists there.
Meditating Buddha (Kushan period (200-300))Asian Art Museum
The Buddha dated 338 resembles other Buddha images of the same period from the Gandhara region, such as this sculpture (from approx. 300–500). Notice the similarities in their postures and robes.
Buddha dated 338Asian Art Museum
However, differences exist and suggest adaptations by Chinese artisans.
For example, the overlapping, inward-facing palms of the Buddha dated 338 are adapted from a formal Chinese gesture of reverence.
Scholars also suggest that the hair and facial features may be more stylistically Chinese.
Imagining the Original
The holes on its base . . .
Buddha dated 338 top side detailAsian Art Museum
and head are evidence that this Buddha is missing some of its parts.
Buddha dated 338 (2019)Asian Art Museum
Reconstructing the Buddha Dated 338
This animation reconstructs how the Buddha dated 338 may have looked with its now-missing pieces.
Buddha dated 338Asian Art Museum
A Feat of Bronze Casting Technology
At about sixteen inches tall, this Buddha is among the largest bronze sculptures to have survived from this era and was cast using sophisticated techniques for its day.
Buddha (probably 350-450)Asian Art Museum
Most examples are only a few inches tall (the height of this sculpture is 3 1/2 inches). Larger bronze Buddhas may have been melted down by conquering regimes.
Buddha dated 338Asian Art Museum
Gilding the Buddha
Most of this sculpture’s surface is gilded using a technique known as mercury gilding. Its size makes it one of the most accomplished and costly surviving from its time.
The Gold-Mercury Gilding Process (excerpts from "Light of the Valley") (2011)Asian Art Museum
The gilded surface is produced by applying a pasty mixture (amalgam) of gold and mercury. Heating over a fire evaporates the mercury, releasing toxic fumes, and leaving the gold bonded to the surface. This gold surface is then burnished with a hard, smooth metal or stone tool to make it shiny and more compact.
Excerpts from the film "Light of the Valley" provide an overview of the renovation of the Swayambhu stupa in Nepal, which includes a gold-mercury gilding process.
Buddha dated 338 x-rayAsian Art Museum
Piece-Mold Casting
A 2010 study revealed that the Buddha dated 338 was cast with leaded bronze using the piece-mold technique. A marker of this process is the use of square bronze chaplets or spacers, as seen in the circled X-ray image taken by Asian Art Museum conservators.
In piece-mold casting, a clay model is first made of the object, then a clay mold is created from the model. The mold is cut into sections, which are reassembled around a core (often of clay) to form the mold for casting. Molten bronze is then poured between the mold and the core. Once cooled, the mold and core are broken to reveal the object.
Stele of a buddha and two bodhisattvas Stele of a buddha and two bodhisattvas (Northern Wei dynasty (386-534))Asian Art Museum
Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in Context
The Buddha dated 338 and other early bronze buddhas in the Asian Art Museum's collection would likely have been placed on an altar for personal devotion. As you explore other sculptures in the collection that were created over a span of more than 1,500 years, notice their variety of materials and religious contexts.
Masterpiece presentation made possible with the generous support of Rosina and Anthony Sun.
