Enthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani

Enthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This ensemble, consisting of seven separately cast pieces, is one of the most elaborate of known surviving Javanese bronzes. The central figure, his hands raised in teaching the dharma, can be identified either as Shakyamuni, the hist­orical Buddha, or as Vairocana, his transcendent manifestation. The lion emerging from the center of the main base refers to the Buddha’s clan name. Seated on the left is Avalokiteshvara, supported by his vehicle the calf-bull Nandin, and on the right is Vajrapani, accompanied by his mount, a makara (mythical crocodile-elephant hybrid). The figures’ slender prop­ortions and angular features mark this triad as a product of the Early Eastern Javanese period.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Enthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and VajrapaniEnthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and VajrapaniEnthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and VajrapaniEnthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and VajrapaniEnthroned Buddha Attended by the Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani

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.