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The Book of the Eighty Rishis
Hermits in old Thai culture were credited with special powers achieved during their yogic practices. These aerobic postures were believed effective treatments for various ailments. This manuscript was commissioned by King Rama III to accompany 80 life-size tin and zinc sculptures depicting hermits in exercise positions at the royal temple of Wat Pho, Bangkok.
Beginning on folio 3, each of the eighty hermits is depicted in the upper half of the opening, with Thai verse and prose text written in Thai script beneath, in gold, on a red ground. Each hermit is sensitively painted on a simple background sometimes including animals, architecture, spiritual being, and other figures. The illustrations and text are framed with painted borders closely relating to textile patterns of the period.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Mr. Yoshie Shinomoto, Monkton, MD [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1993, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 1995 | Unearthly Elegance: Buddhist Art from the Griswold Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Measurements
Overall: 6 1/8 x 15 3/8 in. (15.5 x 39 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Yoshie Shinomoto, 1993
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.831