Buddha and Lambs

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Artist
Nandalal Bose

Painting Title
Buddha and Lambs, 1955

Time Period
1955

Dimensions
H: 45.3, W: 60.4 cm

Material
Water colour on sumi paper

Number Assigned
Accession No.5195
National Gallery of Museum Arts, New Delhi

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In this painting, the Buddha tenderly cradling a lamb amid a quiet flock becomes a moving visual embodiment of the Brahmaviharas, the four sublime states of mind taught in Buddhism. The scene most explicitly expresses karuna compassion one of these divine abodes. Yet, the tranquillity and balance of the composition also suggest the presence of metta (loving-kindness), mudita (sympathetic joy), and upekkha (equanimity). The serene face, gently stylised drapery, and soft, curving posture evoke the spiritual idealism of Gupta-period Buddhist sculpture. At the same time, the atmospheric, nearly abstract landscape mirrors Bose’s late-career search for harmony between form and formlessness.

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