Scenes from Life of the Buddha

King Mindon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pictorial manuscript belongs to the finest quality of court production associated with the last decades of the court of King Mindon (r. 1853–78), and his successor King Thibaw (r. 1878–85). Such richly illustrated manuscripts were produced primarily for court use, to serve as manuals of instruction utilized by monks in narrating moralizing Buddhist stories. The range of quality of such illustrated books suggests that they were also copied outside the court, by commercial workshops. This example appears to be a ‘deluxe edition,’ displaying an extensive suite of panoramic scenes executed to a high standard. It depicts episodes from the biography of the historical Buddha, beginning with the gifting of parkland to the Buddha at Jetavana, Sravasti, and concluding with an episode at Rajgir, near Bodhgaya, when the physician/healer Jivaka cures King Bimbisara’s ailments. The story of Jivaka, the illegitimate son of a prince and a courtesan who became highly skilled in medicine and famed for his healing powers, is a major part of this manuscript’s narrative.

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