Buddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvas

Buddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvas

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This extraordinary group is a rare example of Buddhist sculpture made in China using mammoth ivory as opposed to elephant ivory. Based on a text known as the Flower Garland Sutra, it depicts the founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni, seated on a mythical animal known as a qilin and attended by the bodhisattvas Samantabhadhra (Chinese: Puxian) on an elephant and Manjushri (Chinese: Wenshu) on a lion. The former symbolizes virtuous practice, the later wisdom.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Buddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvasBuddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvasBuddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvasBuddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvasBuddha Shakyamuni with attendant bodhisattvas

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.