Untitled

Unknown

18th century · Ivory with engraved and painted design · Asian Art

Miniature stupas were used in Sri Lankan Buddhism as relic containers. A hierarchy of relics, ranked by their closeness, both physically and in time, to the person of the Buddha himself, was acknowledged in early Buddhism. The Buddha's corporeal remains were the highest form of relic, and over time, those associated with revered teachers assumed a similar, if lesser, status. Stupa reliquaries of this type were used to house the ashes of revered monks.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Ivory with engraved and painted design

Culture

Sri Lanka (Kandy district)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Barry Fernando, M.D. and Coleene Fernando, M.D., 2010