Banner with Bodhisattva, possibly Mahamayuri

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This colorful banner from the renowned Buddhist cave temples near Dunhuang is an important example of early Chinese Buddhist painting. It consists of two parts that may or may not have matched each other originally. The smaller triangular piece features a Buddha seated on a lotus flower in a meditative posture. A bodhisattva standing on a lotus pedestal, richly decorated with precious accessories, fills the scroll. The banner was likely displayed in a temple or the interior of a cave sanctuary, possibly in honor of the main icon in a complex. It could also have been hung outside a building or carried on a pole in ceremonies of various types.

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