Prince Siddhartha Shakyamuni in the Palace Before His Renunciation

2nd -3rd century

This section of carved stone covering the exterior of a Buddhist monument shows several scenes from the early life of the historical Buddha, known before his enlightenment as Prince Siddhartha Shakyamuni. In the upper half, Siddhartha and his wife watch a dancer in their palace. The lower half depicts his wife and others sleeping on the night the prince secretly departs from the palace to begin the spiritual journey that eventually leads to his enlightenment.

Schist

15 1/2 x 17 x 2 1/2 in. (39.37 x 43.18 x 6.35 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

39.34

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, California, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art, Mar. 4 - May 20, 1984 (Chicago, Illinois, Art Institute of Chicago, June 30 - Aug. 26, 1984; Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn Museum, Nov. 1, 1984 - Feb. 10, 1985).

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Indian Buddhist Sculpture, Feb. 3 - August 20, 1990.

Sydney, Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Dancing To The Flute: Music and Dance In Indian Art, June 12 - Aug. 24, 1997.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Published References"Gift to a City" exhibition catalogue. Portland, OR: Portland Art Museum, 1965, cat. no. 70

Pal, Pratapaditya, ed. "Dancing To The Flute: Music and Dance In Indian Art." Sydney: The Art Gallery of New South Wales, 1997. Fig. 74, pages 128 - 129.

Foong, Ping, Xiaojin Wu, and Darielle Mason. "An Asian Art Museum Transformed." Orientations vol. 51, no. 3 (May/June 2020): pp. 54-55, reproduced fig. 12 (installation view).

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