Artwork Page for Four seated Masters

Details / Information for Four seated Masters

Four seated Masters

c. 1450
This object has related works. See

Central Tibet, Ngor monastery

Medium
Gum tempera and gold on cotton
Measurements
Overall: 57.7 x 52 cm (22 11/16 x 20 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1960.209
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Founders and prominent masters of the Sakya order of Buddhism in Tibet are featured in this painting as part of the lineage of teachers who transmitted knowledge of their fundamental text, the Hevajra Tantra. It is part of a series of paintings made at one of the main Sakya monastic centers, which had close ties with Nepal. This Tibetan artwork includes Nepalese features, such as the delicate, decorative quality of the painting, its two-dimensionality, the exaggerated curvature of the upper eyelid, and the filling of all spaces with scrollwork.
A vertically oriented tempera and gold painting depicts four seated masters in a two-by-two grid. With light to medium-light skin tones, the figures sit cross-legged on lotus thrones, wearing patterned robes of red, green, and orange. Ornate pedestals featuring white lions support each throne. Between and around them, smaller figures decorate the borders and golden lines define large halos against the background's red and dark blue patterns.

Four seated Masters

c. 1450

Central Tibet, Ngor monastery

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork