Buddhist Attendant, Possibly a Dakini

Buddhist Attendant, Possibly a Dakini

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This dancing goddess, perhaps intended to represent a perfected female being (dakini), honors the Buddhist wheel of wisdom (dharmachakra), which she holds in her right hand, flanked by golden fish and surmounted by a conch, symbols of auspiciousness. In her left she holds a lotus flower, which may relate her to the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. This sheet was part of a larger composition (now lost).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Buddhist Attendant, Possibly a DakiniBuddhist Attendant, Possibly a DakiniBuddhist Attendant, Possibly a DakiniBuddhist Attendant, Possibly a DakiniBuddhist Attendant, Possibly a Dakini

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.