Artwork Page for Buddha's Previous Life as a Woodpecker: Javasakunda Jataka

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Buddha's Previous Life as a Woodpecker: Javasakunda Jataka

c. 175–225 CE

Southern India, Andhra Pradesh, possibly Amaravati, Satavahana period

(100s BC-AD 200s)
Medium
limestone
Measurements
Overall: 30.7 x 54.2 x 9.6 cm (12 1/16 x 21 5/16 x 3 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of George P. Bickford 1970.350
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Scenes from the past lives of the Buddha were among the major themes found on early Buddhist monuments. This one exemplifies his acts of kindness and his intelligence in one of his past lives when he was a born as a woodpecker and helped dislodge a bone from a lion's throat.
A fragmented tan limestone slab is carved in relief with a weathered scene. On our left, a figure with a rounded head protrusion stands beside a stylized tree with a perched bird. To our right, a lion with an open mouth reclines on a platform, a small figure kneeling near its face. Stacked rectangular forms occupy the background. The stone is heavily pitted throughout, and the slab is broken along the left edge.

Buddha's Previous Life as a Woodpecker: Javasakunda Jataka

c. 175–225 CE

Southern India, Andhra Pradesh, possibly Amaravati, Satavahana period (100s BC-AD 200s)

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