Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Drum panel with veneration of the buddhapada and empty throne
India, Amaravati Great Stupa, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
Not on view
Reverence for the Buddha’s teachings is poignantly expressed in this early drum panel from the Great Stupa at Amaravati. The objects of veneration—the Buddha’s empty throne and his footprints, marked with the Dharma-wheel—are rendered simply, ensuring a clarity of message: the Buddha is present. Worshipping couples offer salutations along with gifts, perfume, flower petals, and a garland. The enclosure railing beneath their feet suggests this scene of veneration is set at a stupa shrine, viewed from the gateway entrance. Aquatic foliage, including lotus bud and blooms, waterfowl, and a makara are all carved in shallow relief in the meandering frieze at the base of the panel.
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