Nepalese-Chinese-style bodhisattva

Object Details

• Label

  Made in China, the style of this bodhisattva (enlightened being) is Nepalese, while the lacquer technique is Chinese. In the thirteenth century, the Mongol ruler Khubilai Khan (1215-1294) invited eighty Nepalese artist-monks to China to construct and adorn a monastery. One of the artists, the renowned Aniko, remained in China and founded the workshop in which this bodhisattva was undoubtedly made. The lacquer technique used is the "dry lacquer" technique, in which several layers of lacquer-impregnated cloth are arranged over a rough clay core and the finishing details are modeled in a paste-like lacquer mixture. Thin iron rods help support fragile parts. When the lacquer dries, the clay core is removed, leaving an exceptionally light sculpture for its size. This image was once painted and gilded, but only traces remain.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Silk Road Exhibition (August 18 to December 25, 2011)

  Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

  Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to August 9, 2011)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Special Exhibit for King and Queen of Nepal (April 26, 1960 to January 1, 1963)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Buddhist Art (July 19, 1958 to April 26, 1960)

  Special Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (August 7, 1946 to January 7, 1947)

  Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Painting and Sculpture (November 15, 1944 to February 25, 1956)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1200s

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Lacquer, Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368), Bodhisattva

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture