明早期 掐絲琺瑯壇城座|Base for a mandala

Unknown

first half 15th century · Cloisonné enamel · Asian Art

Ceremonial mandalas were used in later forms of Buddhism, including Esoteric Buddhism, which flourished in Tibet from the tenth century and was influential at the Chinese court after the fourteenth. This base once supported a three-dimensional mandala that probably comprised small sculptures, models of temples and stupas, or colored sands. The decoration combines lotus flowers (Buddhist symbols of purity) at the top with the Eight Buddhist Treasures at the sides.

Artist

Unknown

Date

first half 15th century

Medium

Cloisonné enamel

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1992