On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Portrait of a Kadam Master with Buddhas and His Lineage
Attesting to his importance as a transmitter of doctrine, the youthful monk in this large-scale portrait holds his hands in the teaching gesture, has a halo, and sits on a lotus atop a lion throne like the Buddha. Further emphasizing his status are the seven medicine Buddhas across the topmost register of the work and the celestial Buddhas of the ten directions along either vertical edge. While the identity of the teacher is not known, the lineage above his head, flanking the bodhisattva Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara, includes the Indian monk Atisha (at left) in his characteristic peaked hat of a pandita (learned one), suggesting the main figure is from the Kadam Buddhist order.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
