Fresco Fragment

C452

Location: On Display in the Asia Galleries

From: China | Henan

Curatorial Section: Asian

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Object Number C452
Current Location Asia Galleries - On Display
Culture Chinese | Buddhist
Provenience China | Henan
Period Song Dynasty | Southern Song Dynasty | Yuan Dynasty
Date Made 13th Century CE
Section Asian
Materials Paint | Stucco | Clay | Gypsum | Plaster | Gold
Technique Fresco | Gilded
Iconography Bodhisattva | Lotus
Inscription Language Sanskrit
Description

Fragment of a fresco from a Buddhist temple wall painting. A bodhisattva in emerald green robes and red halo stands holding a lotus flower. A bodhisasttva is a being who has attained enlightenment but has postponed the joys of Nirvana, a state where one is free of suffering and the cycle of rebirth, in order to help others find salvation. This painting was once part of a larger wall illustration. The bodhisattva holds a lotus in his hand, a common motif in Buddhist art and a symbol of purity and perfection. The fresco is mounted and framed.

Credit Line Purchased from C. T. Loo, 1925

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