Scene from the Life of the Buddha

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Here, the fundamental truth that suffering is the essence of life is charmingly conveyed in the story of the young prince's excursions from the palace, where he had enjoyed a sheltered life of plenty and pleasure. In the canonical iconography of the life of the Buddha, he first meets an old man, then a sick one, then a corpse, and finally an ascetic who inspires the prince to abandon life in the palace to seek the truth. However, in this work, a birth scene at the lower right replaces the customary meeting with the ascetic. The scene of a birth is rare and is probably based on the Lotus Sutra, which preaches four essential sufferings. The skillful brushwork employed for a tree in the upper left corner reflects Japanese artists' study of Chinese paintings and suggests a date in the early fifteenth century.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art