Shakyamuni Triad: Buddha Attended by Manjushri and Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva with Elephant)

釋迦三尊：釋迦摩尼與文殊菩薩普賢菩薩

late 1300s

China, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, Yuan dynasty

(1271-1368)

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Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Measurements

Overall: 106.9 x 46.4 cm (42 1/16 x 18 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2009.342.3

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva of universal virtue, is mounted on a six-tusked white elephant standing on lotus flowers.

Description

This triptych is a rare example of Yuan Buddhist painting. It depicts the historic Buddha Shakyamuni flanked by two attending bodhisattvas, Manjushri (the bodhisattva of wisdom, riding a lion) and Samantabhadra (the bodhisattva of universal virtue, riding an elephant). Below them are others seeking enlightenment: two disciples of the Buddha (Ananada and Kasyapa), two non-Chinese people, a boy with topknots, and a female worshiper.

The clouds above and around the divine beings form one scene that illustrates Shakyamuni’s sermon from the Lotus Sutra. This text became an important basis for Buddhist faith throughout East Asia and was central to the Mahayana school of Buddhism.