Untitled

Unknown

ca. 1700 · Distemper with gold on cloth · Asian Art

Amitayus, the Buddha of Eternal Life, is also known as Amitabha, one of the five Cosmic Buddhas of Esoteric Buddhism. He is shown in his paradise, Sukhavati, the Western Pure Land, enthroned beneath a flowering tree festooned with strands of jewels and auspicious symbols. To either side the sky is filled with throngs of ecstatic demigods who bear offerings and scatter flowers. Seated below are the eight great bodhisattvas, and between them are two large, low tables covered with offerings. To either side are the vast assembled audiences who receive Amitayus’s message. At the bottom, set within a vast panoramic landscape, are courtyards, giant lotus flowers, and pools from which the purified are being reborn.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1700

Medium

Distemper with gold on cloth

Culture

Central Tibet

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Barbara and William Karatz Gift and funds from various donors, 2004