Table screen with Bodhidharma crossing waves on a reed

China

Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Qianlong period (1736–95)

Not on view

During his tour of southern China in 1765, the Qianlong emperor visited Jinshan, a small island in the Yangtze River, where Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, was said to have crossed the river on a single stalk of reed. Inspired by this legend, the emperor composed a poem praising the patriarch and created a painting of the island. Later, he commissioned this jade plaque, which features his poem and an image of Bodhidharma on the front and his painting of the island on the back.

Table screen with Bodhidharma crossing waves on a reed, Jade (nephrite), China

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Table screen with Bodhidharma crossing waves on a reed, Jade (nephrite), China
Table screen with Bodhidharma crossing waves on a reed, Jade (nephrite), China
Table screen with Bodhidharma crossing waves on a reed, Jade (nephrite), China
Table screen with Bodhidharma crossing waves on a reed, Jade (nephrite), China

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