“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)

“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The sutra to which this section of text and images once belonged narrates the life of the historical Buddha, known in Japanese as Shaka and in Sanskrit as Shakyamuni. Here the Buddha has already achieved enlightenment, demonstrated by the halo (mandorla) framing his head. He is preaching a message to King Bimbisara (558–491 B.C.), who became emperor of the Magadha Empire, in northern India, and an ardent supporter of Buddhist teachings. With its primitive evocation of threedimensionality, suggested through a succession of receding contour lines and alternating passages of light and dark color, this vignette from the life of Buddha is the earliest example of East Asian painting in The Met collection.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)“The Historical Buddha Preaching,” a section from The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma (Kako genzai inga kyō emaki)

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.