Standing Bodhisattva Maitreya

Standing Bodhisattva Maitreya

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This bodhisattva wears highly unusual costume and jewelry, including a waistcloth, sash, and elaborate necklace and diadem, which suggests it is styled after a particular court fashion, perhaps from the Swat Valley or Gilgit region. The fragmentary water bottle held in his left hand identifies him as Maitreya, the messianic Buddha of the future. The lotus base and rocky pedestal are not contemporary with the figure.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Standing Bodhisattva MaitreyaStanding Bodhisattva MaitreyaStanding Bodhisattva MaitreyaStanding Bodhisattva MaitreyaStanding Bodhisattva Maitreya

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.