Shakyamuni as an Ascetic

late 13th - early 14th century

Chinese

On View

Buddhist Art, Level 1, North Wing

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic: 1 of Collection Gallery

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic: 2 of Collection Gallery

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic: 3 of Collection Gallery

Shakyamuni as an Ascetic: 4 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

This figure is Shakyamuni, another name for the Buddha, during his time of fasting. Born a prince, Shakyamuni left the palace to retreat into the wilderness. Wearing a simple robe, he gave up all material comforts—including food—and dedicated himself to meditation. But this experience taught him that extreme restraint was not the most effective way to achieve enlightenment. Instead, he found the best path to be balance and moderation—known as the middle way.

Title Shakyamuni as an Ascetic

Artwork Date late 13th - early 14th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Chinese

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Chinese

Medium Wood with lacquer, gilding, and traces of color

Dimensions Overall: 11 3/4 × 8 1/8 × 6 1/2 inches (29.8 × 20.6 × 16.5 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department Asian Art

Credit City of Detroit Purchase

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 29.172

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

(C.T. Loo)

1929-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Bulletin of the DIA 11, no. 2 (1929): p. 22 (ill.).

Ashton, L. and B. Grey. Introduction to Chinese Art. London, 1935, p. 130.

Buddhist Art. Detroit Institute of Arts, 1942, no. 78.

DIA Picture Book: Art of India, China, and Japan. 1946.

Ashton, L., and B. Grey. Chinese Art. New York, 1953, p. 116. [as T'ang]

Chinese Art Under the Mongols: The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). Cleveland Museum of Art. 1968-1969, no. 20 (ill.).

DIA Handbook. 1971, p. 48.

University Liggett Antiques Show. Exh. cat., University Liggett School. Grosse Pointe Woods, 1979, pp. 74, 76, 100.

"Family Art Game," Detroit News/Detroit Free Press. (April 18, 1982): p. 4 (ill.). [DIA Advertising Supplement.]

Mitchell, S.W. "The Asian Collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts," Orientations 13, no. 5 (May 1982): pp. 14-36 (fig. 2).

"Family Art Game," Detroit News (April 14, 1985): p. 7 (ill.). [DIA Advertising Supplement].

100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1985, p. 50-51 (ill.).

Hanks, James E. “Curators of Asian Art at the DIA - from the Collection’s Origins to the 1940s.” Bulletin of the DIA 92, no. 1/4 (2018): pp. 86-87 (fig. 6).

Augustin, Birgitta. "'Like stars seen on the bottom of deep wells': Recalling a Shakyamuni in Detroit," Orientations. vol. 52, no. 1 (January/February 2021): pp. 74-76, (fig. 1) p. 75.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Chinese, Shakyamuni as an Ascetic, late 13th - early 14th century, wood with lacquer, gilding, and traces of color. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 29.172.