Taima Mandala
1304
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1304
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Taima Mandala is a 1304 unspecified by Unknown, depicting Kamakura Period, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a large, colorful map of a heavenly palace floating on clouds. Tiny figures kneel before a golden Buddha at the center. Stories from a queen’s life unfold in side panels like a comic strip. This painting is a copy of an 8th-century woven tapestry. It was used to teach meditation—people would imagine themselves inside the palace to feel closer to the Buddha. Look up more works from the subject: japan, kamakura period (1185–1333).
This painting is a copy after an 8th-century woven mandala belonging to the temple Taimadera. The composition is based on a sacred text that describes the Buddha Shakyamuni’s explanation of Amida’s Pure Land to Queen Vaidehi, as well as his instructions to her on visual meditation upon the Pure Land. The Pure Land appears at the center of the painting. To the left is the story of Queen Vaidehi’s encounter with Shakyamuni, and to the right are the scenes she is given to visualize. The bottom illustrates the nine levels of birth that can be attained in the Pure Land.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Your cart is empty
Explore artworks →
