紫檀木佛龛、同侍从救度焰口释迦牟尼佛
紫檀木佛龛
A Red Sandalwood Niche
清乾隆 Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period（1736-1795）
同侍从救度焰口释迦牟尼佛
The Statue of Shakyamuni Saving Fire-spitting Hungry Ghosts with the Attendants
10世纪 10th Century
底宽（Width of the Base）22cm；高（H）27.4cm
造像最高处正中端坐宝冠释迦牟尼佛，施无畏印，上身着缀璎珞披肩。据学者研究证实，这种披肩在公元6世纪已经开始出现，可能是国王或高级贵族的特有服饰，在中亚地区流行。他身边各坐施与愿印的佛像一尊。二佛斜下方坐菩萨，右边是弥勒菩萨，左手持净瓶；左边是观音菩萨，左手施无畏印，右手持莲花，发髻正中有无量光佛的坐像。二菩萨贴佛塔而坐。从长方形台座正中生长出莲枝，并出旁枝。佛与菩萨均坐于莲台之上。在旁枝与主干之间的莲枝上还坐两位佛，肉髻，袈裟十分清楚。莲枝最下方，台座之上，二龙子立水中，一手置腿上，一手扶莲枝，抬头仰视。整体黄铜制作，佛的袈裟下摆以红铜错嵌，所有人物眸子嵌银，面庞丰满，双目大睁，鼻梁粗扁，胸肌饱满，均是喀什米尔风格的特点。
清宫所配紫檀木龛背后有满、蒙、藏、汉四体文字题记。其中汉文为：“乾隆二十年三月初四日钦命阿嘉胡土克图认看供奉大利益梵铜琍玛同侍从救度焰口释迦牟尼佛。”救度焰口是佛的名号之一。供奉于养性殿西配殿。
The statue shows that the crowned Shakyamuni sits with the gesture of tranquility in the middle at the top, a gem shawl on his shoulder. As verified by researchers, this kind of shawl appeared in the 6th century in mid-Asia, which might be the special costume for kings or senior aristocrats. Two Buddhas are sitting on both sides of him in the gesture of wish and diagonally below was Maitreya on the right with a kalasa in his hand and Avalokitesvara on the left in the gesture of tranquility with the left hand and a lotus in the right, a figure of Amitabha in the center of the hair knot. Two Bodhisattvas are sitting by a pagoda. They are all sitting on lotus thrones which grow and scatter from the center of the square base. There are another two Buddhas sitting between the main stein and branches of the lotus whose flesh mounds and cassocks can be seen clearly. Under the lotus on the base, there are two sons of dragons standing in the water with one hand on the lap and the other holding the lotus, looking upwards. The whole piece is made of brass with red bronze trimming the lower edge of the cassocks. All the eyes are inlaid with silver; the faces are full; the eyes wide open; the nose bridges are thick and flat. All these are the styles of Kashmiri.
There are inscriptions in Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese in the back of the every red sandalwood niche. For this one, it reads, “The Emperor orders Ajay Hutuktu to look after and consecrate the great beneficial brass statue of The Statue of Shakyamuni Saving Fire-spitting Hungry Ghosts with the Attendants on the lunar March 4, in the 20th years of Qianlong,” which is one of the Buddhist stories. The statue was consecrated in the west side hall of the Yang Xing Dian (Hall of Cultivation of Character).
