Seated Amitābha

Unknown artist, late 1500s–early 1600s

Download2001 × 3400 px View on a wall Edit

Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Size: Overall with knobs: 236.9 x 105.7 cm (93 1/4 x 41 5/8 in.); Painting only: 130.8 x 75 cm (51 1/2 x 29 1/2 in.)
Culture: Chinese, Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This magnificent Buddha, called Amitābha (literally, “infinite light”) is seated on a lotus pedestal with both palms facing up over crossed legs, suggesting that it is in deep meditation. In contrast to the richly ornamented throne on which the Buddha is seated, the figure itself is devoid of any jewelry or decorative attributes, emphasizing its enlightened status and detachment from worldly affairs. The lion head in the center of the pedestal is a motif from Central Asia, which can also be seen in the halo or nimbus of Chinese Buddhist stone steles.