The Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and Maitreya

The Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and Maitreya

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This painted interior of a manuscript cover depicts the historical Buddha Shakyamuni with five past Buddhas—a popular association. Buddha Shakyamuni is represented in a monk’s patchwork robe, and the Transcendent Buddhas are dressed in princely attire, crowned and bejeweled. Each sits on an elaborate throne flanked by pairs of lions and leogryphs. Finally, Maitreya, the messianic Buddha of the future, is also depicted.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and MaitreyaThe Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and MaitreyaThe Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and MaitreyaThe Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and MaitreyaThe Buddha Shakyamuni, Five Past Buddhas, and Maitreya

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.