Kandyan chief processing to a temple

Kandyan chief processing to a temple

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This painted terracotta tile likely has its origins in a class of painted temple décor produced in association with temples in the Kandy district of Sri Lanka. The painting style and narrative treatment best relate to late Kandyan-period temple interior murals, such as preserved at Degaldoruwa Vihara, at Amunugama, Kandy, in the later 18th or early 19th century. Here we see a Kandyan nobleman named in the accompanying inscription as [-------] nayaka, no doubt one of the famed noble family names, in procession with his regalia (a sesat, radiant sun parasol) and militia (holding lances, tomara), being received by a temple assistant holding a lamp, referred to in the inscription as a ‘messanger’ (payyinda kaaraya). The reference to “deevaale” is to a temple or shrine that the Kandyan Chief is visiting imminently.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kandyan chief processing to a templeKandyan chief processing to a templeKandyan chief processing to a templeKandyan chief processing to a templeKandyan chief processing to a temple

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.