Standing Buddha with devotee

This image was unearthed in 1861 or 1862, during construction of the East Indian Railway. Buried with it was the largest bronze Buddha statue ever found in India. Seldom do we know exactly where an artwork comes from, and this instance is an exception. (The museum’s donor, Avery Brundage, bought the piece from a dealer in 1960).

On the back of this image is an incised drawing of a stupa (see the nearby case of miniature stupas), beneath which is the so-called Buddhist creed: “The Buddha has explained the cause of all things that arise from a cause. He, the great monk, has also explained their cessation.”

On the front of the sculpture’s base is a dedicatory inscription: “This is the pious gift of the monk [name unclear] for the attainment of supreme knowledge by his father and teachers and all living beings.” (Based on a translation by W. Zwalf.)