--- title: Divine Revelation: Buddhist Sculpture at the V&A description: Likenesses of Buddha are these days so commonplace — the casual adornment of fashionable spas, fusion restaurants and Parisian nightclubs — that it is strange... canonical: https://time.com/archive/6938085/divine-revelation-buddhist-sculpture-at-the-va/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2009-08-26T04:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-23T05:56:40.029Z og:title: Divine Revelation: Buddhist Sculpture at the V&A og:description: Likenesses of Buddha are these days so commonplace — the casual adornment of fashionable spas, fusion restaurants and Parisian nightclubs — that it is strange... og:url: https://time.com/archive/6938085/divine-revelation-buddhist-sculpture-at-the-va/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78631e4ef194184f/698a4f46d075337d90e700aa/360_va_0907.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 360 og:image:height: 203 og:image:alt: 360_va_0907.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Divine Revelation: Buddhist Sculpture at the V&A twitter:description: Likenesses of Buddha are these days so commonplace — the casual adornment of fashionable spas, fusion restaurants and Parisian nightclubs — that it is strange... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78631e4ef194184f/698a4f46d075337d90e700aa/360_va_0907.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Divine Revelation: Buddhist Sculpture at the V&A > Sponsored content. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=b1df61ef-f7c3-4b1e-848d-00d7c875d725&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=b1df61ef-f7c3-4b1e-848d-00d7c875d725&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [William Lee Adams](https://time.com/author/william-lee-adams/) Aug 26, 2009 4:00 AM UTC  V&A Images by [William Lee Adams](https://time.com/author/william-lee-adams/) Aug 26, 2009 4:00 AM UTC Likenesses of Buddha are these days so commonplace — the casual adornment of fashionable spas, fusion restaurants and Parisian nightclubs — that it is strange to think that artists once hesitated, out of reverence, to portray the Buddha in corporeal form. In 2nd century India, judging by a 2nd century sandstone carving excavated from Mathura, it was sufficient to simply depict an empty throne — the implication that the Buddha was a spiritual king being very clearly understood by anyone who saw it. But as the stunning new gallery of Buddhist sculpture at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum makes plain, somewhere along the line the reticence about rendering the Buddha’s likeness gave way, and the world embarked on two millenniums of rich iconography and statuary. The gallery’s 47 masterworks, culled from the museum’s renowned Asian collections, trace the Buddha’s portrayal from the 2nd to 19th centuries, in places as diverse as India, Java and Japan. [(See 10 things to do in London.)](https://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1846986,00.html) Inspiration came from unexpected sources. Some sculptors in Sri Lanka and China simply shaped the Buddha in their own likenesses. A 4th century stucco bust unearthed in Afghanistan features the full lips associated with Indian Gupta art, but also fulsome curls that reflect the Greco-Roman artists brought to the region by Alexander the Great. Other enlightened souls are shown beside the Buddha. Among the gallery’s most glorious artifacts are depictions of bodhisattvas — those who deliberately postpone their passage to nirvana, Buddhists believe, in order to help others along the eightfold path. In the 14th century, metalworkers from Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley crafted the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, a manifestation of the Buddhist lord of compassion, in gilded copper and precious-stone inlay. An androgynous-looking deity with wide hips and sensuous form (in Chinese tradition, Avalokiteshvara or Guan Yin is female, in others male), Avalokiteshvara’s serene face projects the harmony to which all Buddhists aspire. John Clarke, the gallery’s principal curator, says that Avalokiteshvara is sometimes depicted holding a blooming lotus — a symbol of spiritual purity. “It comes up from the mud, flowers, and remains untouched by the dirt that surrounded it,” he says. You could say the same thing for the wonderful richness of Buddhist art. See [www.vam.ac.uk](https://www.vam.ac.uk) for more. [Read TIME’s stories about romance on the road.](https://www.time.com/time/travel/tipsadvice/loveonthefly) [See the best new travel products, gadgets and trends.](https://www.time.com/time/travel/tipsadvice/checkpoints) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938085/divine-revelation-buddhist-sculpture-at-the-va/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938085/divine-revelation-buddhist-sculpture-at-the-va/"},"headline":"Divine Revelation: Buddhist Sculpture at the V&A","datePublished":"2009-08-26T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-23T05:56:40.029Z","description":"Likenesses of Buddha are these days so commonplace — the casual adornment of fashionable spas, fusion restaurants and Parisian nightclubs — that it is strange...","url":"https://time.com/archive/6938085/divine-revelation-buddhist-sculpture-at-the-va/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78631e4ef194184f/698a4f46d075337d90e700aa/360_va_0907.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"William Lee Adams","url":"https://time.com/author/william-lee-adams/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt78631e4ef194184f/698a4f46d075337d90e700aa/360_va_0907.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"360_va_0907.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"V&A Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938085/divine-revelation-buddhist-sculpture-at-the-va/","name":"Divine Revelation: Buddhist Sculpture at the V&A"}}]}] ```