Seated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and Mandorla

Seated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and Mandorla

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In Gandhara the appearance of a halo surrounding an entire figure occurs only in the latest phases of artistic production, in the fifth and sixth centuries. By this time in Afghanistan the halo/mandorla had become quite common and is the format that took hold at Central Asian Buddhist sites.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Seated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and MandorlaSeated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and MandorlaSeated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and MandorlaSeated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and MandorlaSeated Bodhisattva with Combined Halo and Mandorla

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.