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Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree
1600–1650
- Medium
- hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Painting: 128.5 x 62 cm (50 9/16 x 24 7/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 259 x 82.5 cm (101 15/16 x 32 1/2 in.)
- Culture
- China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Chinese Art
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
The historical Buddha Shakyamuni is seated in meditative posture upon the backs of three demons under the bodhi tree, where he achieved enlightenment. All three demons have horns like devils, and two have green skin. While they accommodate the Buddha, his weight seems to keep them under control. Since the Buddha’s hands do not conform to any accepted gesture, the specific religious event portrayed is unclear.
