Virupa
Unknown Artist
early 1400s
Medium
Gilt bronze with silver, stones, and pigment
Dimensions
h. 43.6 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mary B. Lee, C. Bingham Blossom, Dudley S. Blossom III, Laurel B. Kovacik, and Elizabeth B. Blossom, in memory of Elizabeth B. Blossom
Accession Number
1972.96
About this artwork
Virupa is one of the great teachers in the history of tantric Buddhism. His posture references his ability to stop the sun; as an enlightened being, he can control phenomena of nature. As a tantric practitioner, he overturns ordinary assumptions about proper behavior, so he overeats, drinks large quantities of liquor, and waits for the king to pay his bill at the tavern. At the edge of the lotus pedestal is an inscription identifying the image as having been made in the imperial kilns of the thi...