Portrait of a Kadam Master with Buddhas and His Lineage
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Attesting to his importance as a transmitter of doctrine, the youthful monk in this large-scale portrait holds his hands in the teaching gesture, has a halo, and sits on a lotus atop a lion throne like the Buddha. Further emphasizing his status are the seven medicine Buddhas across the topmost register of the work and the celestial Buddhas of the ten directions along either vertical edge. While the identity of the teacher is not known, the lineage above his head, flanking the bodhisattva Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara, includes the Indian monk Atisha (at left) in his characteristic peaked hat of a pandita (learned one), suggesting the main figure is from the Kadam Buddhist order.
Artwork Details
- Title: Portrait of a Kadam Master with Buddhas and His Lineage
- Date: c. 1180–1220
- Culture: Tibet (Central)
- Medium: Distemper on cloth
- Dimensions: H. 45 in. (114.3 cm); W. 30 in. (76.2 cm)
Framed dimensions: H. 54 in. (137.2 cm); W. 38 in. (96.5 cm); Est. wt. 19 lbs. (8.6 kg) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by the Michael J. and Beata McCormick Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art