Seated Amitabha with Attendants
Unknown Artist
c. 1100s
Medium
Gum tempera and ink on sized cotton
Dimensions
100 × 66.7 cm · image: 78.2 × 62.9 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession Number
2000.68
About this artwork
The red Buddha of the West, Amitabha, seated in meditation on his throne, is flanked by bodhisattvas. Above are two rows of monks who transmit his teachings, and along the bottom is a row of six adepts, skilled practitioners of magic and the recitation of mantras to reach enlightenment quickly. In front of his throne are the three flaming jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, his teaching (dharma), and the spiritual community (sangha). Its unfinished state reveals the fluid and accomplished ink drawin...