Sakyamuni Emerging from the Mountains, late 13^th-mid 14^th century
Chinese, Yuan dynasty, 1279-1368
Wood with red lacquer, gilding, and traces of color
City of Detroit Purchase
29.172

Sakyamuni, founder of the Buddhist faith, is shown after renouncing his life as a prince and spending six years in the mountains fasting and meditating in search of enlightenment. The sensitive, expressive rendering of an emaciated ascetic announces that peace is the reward of a rigorous spiritual quest. This message especially appeals to the Chan (Zen) Buddhist sect, which maintains that enlightenment is achieved through self-discipline, exhaustive effort, and intense concentration.

This masterful figure, carved in a period noted for realism and exquisite ornamentation, is the finest Chinese Sakyamuni sculpture of its time in existence. Yuan dynasty conventions of representation (the particular meditative pose, bearded face, and bald head fringed with curls) combine with universal attributes of Buddha (the monkís robe, ear lobes elongated by princely jewelry, and forehead bump symbolizing spiritual awakening) to reveal Buddhaís unassuming character and profound insight.