Mayadevi (Nepal)   In the earliest forms of Buddhism there were no representations of the Buddha image. Usually the idea of his presence was indicated by symbols, such as the lotus or the wheel. With the coming of Mahayana Buddhism there came a changing of attitudes leading to the eventual creation of works such as this. Not only does it show the Buddha figure, but it shows him coming out of the right side of the lady Maya. This scene of nativity is extraordinary in many ways: it successfully combines, in its charged appearance, the qualities of both sculpture and painting. It rings with a richness that is unbelievable, with Mayadevi seeming to dance on a celestial stage under that bejeweled tree of light whose branch she holds to steady herself. There never was a more jubilant depiction of a birth. As she rhythmically moves in that space created by the device of the conceptualized tree, there is a great onrush of potential music surrounding her. All of this the sculptor accomplishes with a combination of great simplification side-by-side with an almost overly ornate treatment of details. There is the extreme feeling of order and equilibrium in this view of a royal and divine birth. Next
	Table of Content | HOME