Foliate Pedestal for a Buddhist Image

late 12th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 238

This foliate pedestal supported an icon (now missing), probably of a seated Buddhist deity in an articulated lotus-bud mandala. The finely modeled openwork design is enhanced with independently cast and gilded ornaments, two of which survive: a flame motif and a conch shell. The Burmese provenance is a reminder of the close connections that existed between eastern India and the Burmese kingdom of Pagan in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Foliate Pedestal for a Buddhist Image
Period: Pala period
Date: late 12th century
Culture: India (probably Bengal)
Medium: Partially gilded brass, copper base
Dimensions: H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm); W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm); D. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Purchase, The Manheim Foundation Inc. Gift and Rogers Fund, by exchange, 2009
Object Number: 2009.21a–c
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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