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Sakya-muni Buddah, with Amitayus & 4 Standing Tara
Tibetan
18th century
Object Place: Tibet
Medium/Technique
Distemper on cotton
Dimensions
68 x 53 cm (26 3/4 x 20 7/8 in.); Legacy dimension: 67.3 x 52.0 cm
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number21.732
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsPaintings
DescriptionPainting with no borders, possibly originally in thangka format.
Shakyamuni sits on elaborate lotus throne with hands in dharmachakra mudra. Directly above him is Amitabha Buddha. Beside and below him are four standing Bodhisattvas, each holding the stem of a lotus. They are dressed in distinctive costumes with short shirts and long, tight, striped leggings. They are set in a Chinese-style landscape with stylized clouds above and mountain and rock formations below. (Includes a very nice rendition of a Chinese scholar's rock.)
Shakyamuni sits on elaborate lotus throne with hands in dharmachakra mudra. Directly above him is Amitabha Buddha. Beside and below him are four standing Bodhisattvas, each holding the stem of a lotus. They are dressed in distinctive costumes with short shirts and long, tight, striped leggings. They are set in a Chinese-style landscape with stylized clouds above and mountain and rock formations below. (Includes a very nice rendition of a Chinese scholar's rock.)
InscriptionsOn reverse, in red paint, are three-character mantras: Om, Ah, Hum at the center of each deity. A long inscription at the center needs to be translated (photograph taken).
Provenance1921 William Sturgis Bigelow, Boston, MA; 1921, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: April 7, 1921)