Artwork Page for Cinerary Urn with Amida’s Pure Land

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Cinerary Urn with Amida’s Pure Land

阿弥陀浄土図骨壺

800s-900s

Japan, Heian period

(794–1185)
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Medium
gilt bronze
Measurements
Diameter of mouth: 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in.); Overall: 26.1 cm (10 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1960.55.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

This urn once held someone’s ashes. It is decorated with images of the Pure Land of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Life and Light. Heian-period devotees of Amida believed that if they called upon his name with sincerity at the moment of death, they would be born into his Pure Land, also known as the Western Paradise, and thereby escape the pattern of reincarnation. As shown on the lid of the urn, in the Pure Land, musical instruments float about playing by themselves. Its palatial structures and magnificent lotus pond are described on the body of the urn.
A bulbous gilt bronze vessel features a spherical body, a short, flared neck, and a low base. Muted gold tones are mottled with dark brown patches where the gilding has worn away. A thin horizontal ridge encircles the midpoint. Fine engravings of human figures cover the upper half, and a band of repeated petal shapes rings the shoulder near the rim. The vessel displays extensive wear across its rounded form.

Cinerary Urn with Amida’s Pure Land

800s-900s

Japan, Heian period (794–1185)

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