Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Kashyapa

dated 1700
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 233
This monk figure is Kashyapa (also known as Gaseop), the eldest of the Buddha Shakyamuni’s principal disciples. His smiling face and relaxed posture convey benevolence and wisdom. Cavities in the head, torso, and lower body reveal the statue’s use in the Buddhist consecration ritual known as bokjang (腹藏), meaning to store or conceal in the abdomen. While an X-ray scan shows that the head is empty, votive offerings were discovered in the body.

Bokjang is performed when creating or restoring Buddhist images. Along with grains, herbs, spices, textiles, and relics, sacred objects such as sutras and Dharani texts are prepared and placed inside the hollow figure. Prayers transform and sanctify the image, reflecting the intimate connection between materiality and devotion in Korean Buddhism. A scroll found inside documents that this Kashyapa was made in 1700 by monk sculptors.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 목조 가섭존자상 조선
  • 木造迦葉尊者像 朝鮮
  • Title: Kashyapa
  • Period: Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)
  • Date: dated 1700
  • Culture: Korea
  • Medium: Wood with polychrome paint
  • Dimensions: H. 22 in. (55.9 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1942
  • Object Number: 42.25.8
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Sword with Scabbard, Steel, wood, bronze, gold, silver, iron, pigment, textile, Korean
Sword with Scabbard
Korean
16th–19th century
Hanuman Conversing, Copper alloy, India (Tamil Nadu)
Hanuman Conversing
India (Tamil Nadu)
11th century
Rafter finial in the shape of a dragon’s head and wind chime , Gilt bronze, Korea

Rafter finial in the shape of a dragon’s head and wind chime

Korea
10th century
Fabric Armor and Helmet with Buddhist and Taoist symbols, Cotton, hemp, copper alloy, iron, Korean
Fabric Armor and Helmet with Buddhist and Taoist symbols
Korean
possibly 18th century
Standing Buddha, Bronze with traces of gilt, Thailand (Nakhon Pathom Province)
Standing Buddha
Thailand (Nakhon Pathom Province)
8th–9th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.