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Base for a mandala

first half 15th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 220
Ceremonial mandalas were used in later forms of Buddhism, including Esoteric Buddhism, which flourished in Tibet from the tenth century and was influential at the Chinese court after the fourteenth. This base once supported a three-dimensional mandala that probably comprised small sculptures, models of temples and stupas, or colored sands. The decoration combines lotus flowers (Buddhist symbols of purity) at the top with the Eight Buddhist Treasures at the sides.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 明早期 掐絲琺瑯壇城座
  • Title: Base for a mandala
  • Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Date: first half 15th century
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Cloisonné enamel
  • Dimensions: H. 3 in. (7.6 cm); Diam. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
  • Classification: Cloisonné
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1992
  • Object Number: 1992.331
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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