Miroku Bosatsu

14th century

Not on view

Miroku Bosatsu (Sanskrit: Maitreya Bodhisattva), the future Buddha, resides in the Tushita heaven, awaiting rebirth on earth. He usually has a princely appearance and holds a stupa. Legends say that Vasubandhu and Asanga, the great Indian philosophers of the Hossō sect, received teachings directly from Miroku Bosatsu.

Shell powder was not used to build up the surface underneath the application of gold, suggesting that the painting was probably produced at the end of the Kamakura period, before that practice became prevalent.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

弥勒菩薩像
Title: Miroku Bosatsu
Period: Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Date: 14th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions: Image: 42 in. × 18 1/2 in. (106.7 × 47 cm)
Overall with mounting: 80 in. × 26 1/4 in. (203.2 × 66.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 28 1/8 in. (71.4 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Object Number: 29.100.462
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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