弥勒菩薩立像～光背～

Standing Maitreya Sculpture ~The Mandorla~

現在開催中の展覧会案内でご紹介しました『弥勒観音菩薩』の光背に注目したいと思います。

For this entry I would like to discuss the mandorla attached to the Maitreya sculpture that is on display now in Shirokane.





装飾味豊かな宝冠、胸飾が見事な仏像で、特に光背は圧巻です。

This is a wonderful sculpture, with an elaborately jeweled crown and decoration across the chest, but the mandorla (J: kōhai) is really the highlight.



鍍金がきれいに残っていますし、大変繊細な毛彫が施されています。八方には透明ガラスもしくは水晶が填装されています。中心に蓮の花が装飾されていてうしろ姿には勿体無いほどの美しさです。

そもそも仏像の背には、坐像にも立像にも板状の飾りがあります。

今は光背を失った仏像もありますが、もともとは光背や台座はセットで作られていました。

光背は飾りに見えますが、仏身から発する光を表現したもので釈迦が悟りを開いた際、全身が金色に輝きはじめたという様子をあらわしています。

基本的には、頭部から発する頭光、体部からの身光、全身をおおう挙身光の３つがあります。

光背には、雲や蓮華などの植物、また火焔や化仏を浮彫りや透かし彫りでデザインしたものなど、技巧を凝らしたものが多いです。

また、仏像の種類や時代によってそのデザインがさまざまに変わるため、仏師の工夫や作られた時代を知るのにも役立ちます。

現在開催中の展覧会【ロンドンギャラリー白金】は、７月６日（土）まででございます。

皆さまのお越しをお待ち申し上げております。

The decorative nature of the piece is enhanced further by finely incised lines, and the gilding remains beautifully intact. There are eight transparent glass or crystal discs in the outer perimeter, and in the center a lotus flower. It almost seems a waste to put such a beautiful accent in the rear where no one can see it.

All Buddhist sculptures, whether in sitting or standing positions, would have originally had a flat decorative backing of some sort. Many have since lost these mandorla, but originally they all would have had a decorative backing and base made to accompany them.

Basically, there are three types of mandorla: those around only the head (zukō), those around only the body (shinkō), and those around the entire figure (kyoshinkō). Though they may appear as mere decorations, they in fact are meant to represent light radiating from the deity, just as Shakyamuni is said to have emanated a golden light after attaining enlightenment. Many mandorla were very elaborately produced, featuring clouds, lotus flowers or other plants, flames, or even smaller transformation Buddhas carved in relief or done in delicate openwork. And as their designs changed depending on the deity or time in which they were produced, they can be very useful in considering where and when a sculpture may have been made.

The current exhibition in Shirokane is open until Saturday July 6th, and we hope you will take the time to come see us before then.