Buddha and two attendants with two patrons
Artist/Culture
Japanese
Date19th Century
Mediumink and opaque color on silk
Dimensions111.7 x 55.3 cm (44 x 21 3/4 in.)
Overall1: 88.5 x 43.5 cm (34 13/16 x 17 1/8 in.)
Overall1: 88.5 x 43.5 cm (34 13/16 x 17 1/8 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift from the estate of John Chandler Bancroft
Object number1901.1318
Label TextThis folkish painting depicts one of the principal subjects of Pure Land Buddhism, the welcoming descent of Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha) at the moment of death to welcome the devotee into the Western Paradise (raigo). In this case, the iconic and frontal image of Amida Buddha accompanied by the bodhisattvas Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokitesvara) and Seishi (Sanskrit: Mahasthamaprapta) suggests this painting was also a devotional painting that helped believers visualize the deity as they knelt in prayer in front of it. The deities of the indigenous Shinto religion of Japan kneeling in oblation to the Buddhist trinity indicates a process of cross fertilization that began in the Heian period (794-1185). It also implies relationship between the two religions in the temple or shrine associated with the commission of the work.
Raigo painted on paper rather than silk and mounted with painted rather than textile decoration indicate the popularization of the faith when great wealth was no longer available for the commission of such paintings. The totally conventional and routine treatment of the figures in this painting confirms its late date. The flower petals and Jewels painted on the mount contribute to the felicitous and paradisiacal atmosphere of the subject.ProvenanceEstate of John Chandler Bancroft, Boston MAOn View
Not on viewCollections
