Seated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming Shoulders

Seated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming Shoulders

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In a past birth Shakyamuni met the Buddha Dipankara and vowed to pursue the path to Buddhahood. By the fourth century Dipankara Buddhas represented with flaming shoulders began to appear in the sculpture of Gandhara and Afghanistan and in Chinese bronzes. This seated Buddha was likely part of a mandorla.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Seated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming ShouldersSeated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming ShouldersSeated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming ShouldersSeated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming ShouldersSeated Dipankara Buddha with Flaming Shoulders

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.