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Painted Banner (Thangka) of Bodhisattva Maitreya Surrounded by his Retinue

A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on cotton.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of opaque watercolor and gold on cotton.

Date:

16th century

Artist:

Tibet
Southern Tibet

About this artwork

The bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, and the successor of Shakyamuni Buddha, is identifiable by the tiny, gold waterpot perched on the lotus near his shoulder at right. He is flanked by two other bodhisattvas; the green one is Vajrapani and the golden one is most likely Manjusri. Collectively, these three deities represent Shakyamuni Buddha’s virtues: Maitreya is the manifestation of his compassion, Manjusri is the manifestation of his wisdom; and Vajrapani is the manifestation of his power. Most of the deities in the margins form part of the bodhisattva’s retinue. The monk who officiated at the thangka’s consecration is at lower right in white.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Painted Banner (Thangka) of Bodhisattva Maitreya Surrounded by his Retinue

Place

Tibet (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1501–1600

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on cotton

Dimensions

50.2 × 39.7 cm (19 3/4 × 15 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Marilynn B. Alsdorf

Reference Number

2014.1025

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/144918/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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