Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Stupa panel with a mahapurusa figure, probably a yaksa honring the Buddha
India, Kotta Nandayapalem, Karlapalem, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
Not on view
This panel depicts a noble figure attended by four dwarfs (ganas), who alternately hold an umbrella aloft, carry a vessel, or raise their hands in reverence. All four have short, corpulent physiques and wear their hair in distinctive topknots. The central figure, dressed in princely garb, stands with his left hand on his hip and holds a large lotus bloom in his right. Such lotus-bearing figures attended by dwarfs represent the last vestiges of the yaksha (nature deity) sculptural tradition in the Andhra territories and the prototype for images of the bodhisattvas, the Buddhist saviors who first appear as attendants to the Buddha.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
