The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of February 26, 2026
Festive Burmese in their best clothes stroll around the Great Golden Spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda during Thadingyut
1951
(French, 1908–2004)
Image: 16.1 x 24.1 cm (6 5/16 x 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 16.1 x 24.1 cm (6 5/16 x 9 1/2 in.)
Gift of George Stephanopoulos 2012.317
© Henri Cartier-Bresson
Location: Not on view
Description
Buddhist manuscripts and images are kept in monasteries that are also sites of monuments called stupas or pagodas, which contain sacred relics. Many Buddhists visit the monasteries on festival days, such as Thadingyut, shown here. Thadingyut commemorates the return of the Buddha back to earth after spending a season in heaven giving teachings to his mother, who died seven days after he was born.The colossal Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar’s capital of Yangon (Rangoon) was first constructed in the 6th century. Its current expanded form, covered with gold plates, was completed in 1775 by King Hsinbyushin (Burmese, reigned 1763–76). Dwarfing the visitors, its spire soars to nearly 350 feet. Only the moldings of the base terraces and clusters of smaller stupas are visible in the background.
- ?–2012George Stephanpoulos [b. 1961], New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of ArtDecember 3, 2012–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Text and Image in Southern Asia. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26, 2022-March 5, 2023).
- {{cite web|title=Festive Burmese in their best clothes stroll around the Great Golden Spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda during Thadingyut|url=false|author=Henri Cartier-Bresson|year=1951|access-date=26 February 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.317