Seated Buddha Shakyamuni in Meditation with Hands in Dhyana-Mudra and with Flaming Shoulders, Eastern Wei, 534-550. Gilt bronze; Gandhara type, H. 32 x W. 24 x D. 13 cm. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.53.80.A.

This gilt-bronze sculpture depicts the historical Buddha Shakyamuni seated on a rectangular throne flanked by a pair of small lions and two donor figures. The Buddha’s hands form the dhyana mudra, a gesture of meditation; the eight triangular points emanating from his shoulders represent flames—a visible manifestation of the body heat associated with meditative practice. Whereas the Buddha’s facial features, mustache, hair, and robes reflect the artistic influence of Gandhara—an ancient kingdom that included parts of present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northwestern India—the lions and donor figures are Chinese in style. In fact, this sculpture ranks among the earliest-known iconic images of the Buddha produced in China, and unlike most of its Indian counterparts, it was cast using the piece-mold technique, the dominant mode of bronzecasting in pre-Buddhist China. The cavity at the top of its head may indicate that the figure once housed relics.