Buddhist Attendant
This dancing goddess is perhaps intended to represent a dakini, considered a perfected female being. She honors the Buddhist wheel of wisdom (dharmachakra), held in her raised right hand. The wheel is flanked by golden fish and surmounted by a conch, symbols of auspiciousness. With her left hand she gestures as to evoke the teachings of the Buddha. Her semi-divine, celestial nature is conveyed by the cloud cushion upon which she dances. This work was part of a larger composition, now lost.
Artwork Details
- Title: Buddhist Attendant
- Date: late 18th century
- Culture: Eastern Tibet
- Medium: Color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 50 1/4 x 33 1/4 in. (127.6 x 84.5 cm)
Overall: 77 3/8 × 33 1/4 in. (196.5 × 84.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1938
- Object Number: 38.103
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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ca. 1700
mid-17th century
18th century
Attributed to Leng Mei (Chinese, active 1677–1742)
1793
Wang Yuanqi (Chinese, 1642–1715)
ca. 1710
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