On view
South Asian Art
Bonten 梵天像 (Skt. Brahma),
ca. late 11th century
Anonymous
Japanese
Heian period, 794–1185
y1966-26
Bonten is a Hindu deity who was incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon as a protector of the dharma, the cosmic laws of the Buddha’s teachings. Depending on the scripture or Buddhist sect, Bonten appears in different forms—as a bodhisattva or a superhuman figure with three faces and multiple arms. Here, he is presented as a princely figure clad in a loose, long-
sleeved robe and wearing a crown. Based on other depictions of Bonten in this guise, the statue likely held a lotus in the left hand and a juzu (a Buddhist ritual prayer implement similar to a rosary) in the right. Alternatively, the right hand may have formed the mudra, or symbolic gesture, of listening to a worshiper’s prayer.
sleeved robe and wearing a crown. Based on other depictions of Bonten in this guise, the statue likely held a lotus in the left hand and a juzu (a Buddhist ritual prayer implement similar to a rosary) in the right. Alternatively, the right hand may have formed the mudra, or symbolic gesture, of listening to a worshiper’s prayer.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Bonten 梵天像 (Skt. Brahma)
Dates
ca. late 11th century
Maker
Medium
Wood with traces of red pigment
Dimensions
h. 103.0 cm., w. approx. 39.5 cm., d. approx. 19.0 cm. (40 9/16 x 15 9/16 x 7 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900, and William R. McAlpin, Class of 1926
Object Number
y1966-26
Place Made
Asia, Japan
Description
Figure standing, frontal, right arm at side, left bent at elbow. Probably an attribute in each hand, originally. Elongated, pierced earlobes. High, plain headdress. Dressed in low-necked garments; three tiers of skirts; long, kimono-type sleeves under shorter, slightly puffed ones; narrow scarf across back of neck and in front of armpits.
Culture
Period
Type
Subject
Gift of J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900 (1895–1968), and William R. McAlpin, Class of 1926, to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1966.
- "Gallery of Far-Eastern Art: given by the Class of 1929," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 25, no. 1/2 (1966): 53., p. 53 (illus.)
- "Acquisitions 1965 and 1966," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 26, no. 1 (1967): p. 2, 19-32., p. 25
- "Gifts by J. Lionberger Davis, Class of 1900, to the Art Museum", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 33, no. 2 (1974): p. 24-30., p. 29
- Allen Rosenbaum and Francis F. Jones, Selections from The Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: The Art Museum, Princeton University, 1986), p. 248 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 263 (illus.)
- Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 315
