The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree

Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree

1600–1650
(1368–1644)
hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Painting: 128.5 x 62 cm (50 9/16 x 24 7/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 259 x 82.5 cm (101 15/16 x 32 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.68
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The blue-green style and grotesque goblins suggest an otherworldly sphere.

Description

The historical Buddha Shakyamuni is seated in meditative posture upon the backs of three demons under the bodhi tree, where he achieved enlightenment. All three demons have horns like devils, and two have green skin. While they accommodate the Buddha, his weight seems to keep them under control. Since the Buddha’s hands do not conform to any accepted gesture, the specific religious event portrayed is unclear.
  • ?–1971
    (Alice Boney [1901–1988], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1971–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Ho, Wai-kam, Sherman E. Lee, Laurence Sickman, and Marc F. Wilson. Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting: The Collections of the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1980. Reproduced: cat. no. 210, pp. 274-275.
    Zhiyi. Stopping and Seeing: A Comprehensive Course in Buddhist Meditation. Boston: Shambhala, 1997. Reproduced: cover
    Menzies, Jackie. Buddha: Radiant Awakening. Sydney: Art Gallery NSW, 2001. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 10, p. 28
    Brown, Waka Takahashi. Religions and Philosophies in China: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Stanford, CA: Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education, 2002. p. 149
    Tang, Yin 唐寅, Xu Wei 徐渭, and Qiu Ying 仇英. Ming Hua Quan Ji 明畫全集. Hangzhou Shi: Zhejiang da xue chu ban she, 2017. Mentioned and reproduced: Vol. 20, pt. 2, p. 226-231, 318
  • Flora and Fauna (Chinese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 6, 2020-June 6, 2021).
    Buddha, Radiant Awakening. Art Gallery of New South Wales (organizer) (November 10, 2001-February 24, 2002).
    Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (November 7, 1980-January 4, 1981); The Cleveland Museum of Art (February 10-March 29, 1981); Tokyo National Museum (October 4-November 17, 1982).
  • {{cite web|title=Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree|url=false|author=|year=1600–1650|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1971.68