Samantabhadra
1104
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Samantabhadra is a 1104 unspecified by Unknown, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a blue-skinned figure riding a white elephant with six tusks against a plain gold background. The rider holds a lotus flower and wears flowing robes. This painting shows Samantabhadra, a Buddhist protector who appears in the Lotus Sutra. Most images pair him with another figure, but here he’s alone—likely part of a three-panel set. The gold leaf makes the figure glow, a common trick in temple art to suggest holiness. Look up more works from the subject: china, southern song dynasty (1127-1279) to see how other artists painted these scenes.
