The cosmic Buddha Amitayus
Place of OriginCentral, Tibet
Date1800-1900
MaterialsColors on cotton
DimensionsH. 31 1/2 in x W. 22 3/4 in, H. 80 cm x W. 57.7 cm Unmounted; H. 57 in x W. 31 3/4 in, H. 140 cm x W. 80.6 cm Mounted
Credit LineTransfer from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Katherine Ball
Object numberB72D47
DepartmentHimalayan Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on viewThis Tibetan religious painting depicts repetitions of the Buddha Amitayus, whose name means infinite life. You can identify Amitayus by the flask of immortality he holds on his lap. Tibetan Buddhists believe that making an image of Amitayus and donating it to the proper recipient invokes the life-extending power that Amitayus embodies. Notice the natural setting surrounding the Buddhas. This painting may remind us that the Buddha's teachings about emptiness can be accessed in the world all around us.
1700-1800
1700-1800
1200-1300
approx. 1275-1350
1700-1800
1100-1200
1700-1800
1275-1350
1700-1800
1800-1900