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Sealing with Enthroned Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness

Central Myanmar

7th–8th century

Not on view

One of the most pervasive indicators of Buddhist activity in first-millennium Southeast Asia is the presence of molded clay tablets of Buddhist dedication. Some of the earliest examples from Southeast Asia appear in urban Pyu contexts in central Myanmar, datable to about the seventh or eighth century. The moldings were understood as an extension of the cult of relics: a depiction of the Buddha or a stupa or simply a plaque bearing text (typically the dharma, the Buddha’s word) was an accessible object of veneration.

cat. no. 53

Sealing with Enthroned Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness, Fired clay, Central Myanmar — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Sealing with Enthroned Buddha Calling the Earth to Witness

Date: 7th–8th century

Culture: Central Myanmar

Medium: Fired clay

Dimensions: H. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm); W. 6 1/8 in. (15.5 cm); D. 1 9/16 in. (4 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Lent by Department of Archaeology and Museums, Yangon, Myanmar (2001/2/70)

Accession Number: SL.2.2014.29.3

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Asian Art at The Met

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.