Star Mandala
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Star mandalas were used in rituals to call upon the power of stellar deities to avert disaster and prolong life. The mandala centers on Shaka-kinrin, a manifestation of the Historical Buddha, holding a golden wheel. Sixteen deities closely surround him. They represent the seven stars of the Big Dipper and the Nine Luminaries (the sun and moon, the planets Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury, and personifications of two points in the moon’s orbit). The next group of deities, on a green ground, are those associated with the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Finally, the outermost group of twenty-eight deities represents the Lunar Mansions, which track the moon’s orbit.
Artwork Details
- 星曼荼羅
- Title: Star Mandala
- Period: Heian period (794–1185) or Kamakura period (1185–1333)
- Date: 12th–14th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, gold and color on silk
- Dimensions: Image: 34 1/16 × 20 3/4 in. (86.5 × 52.7 cm)
Overall with mounting: 70 × 27 1/2 in. (177.8 × 69.9 cm)
Overall with knobs: 70 × 29 7/8 in. (177.8 × 75.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art