Processional Mask of a Bodhisattva
Unknown Artist
late 1100s
Medium
wood, lacquered and painted
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.22,"depth":0.16}}
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1950.581
About this artwork
This ceremonial mask was used in a dramatic enactment of the descent of the Buddha Amida and his entourage to welcome the dying to his Pure Land. The mask represents the face of an enlightened being called a bodhisattva. Performances of the welcoming descent had begun by the early 11th century and continue at some temples today.