Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Mandala of Padmavati
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
Padmavati is the "yakshi," or attendant goddess, of the Jina Parshvanatha. Each Jina is associated with a female "yakshi" and male "yaksha," divinities who protect the Jain teachings. Like the ancient Indic divinities also called "yakshis" and "yakshas," they are also associated with material wellbeing. Unlike Jinas, who have become liberated from worldly existence and are worshiped for the ideals they represent, "yakshis" and "yakshas" are present in the world and directly available to their devotees.
Padmavati is especially popular in the southwestern Indian region of Karnataka, where this sculpture was made. Seated in the center of a lotus, she is surrounded by her own attendant goddesses, who sit on its unfurled petals. The details of the sculpture have become worn through years of ritual worship, in which priests and other devotees honor the goddess by pouring sacred liquids over her image as they recite words of praise.
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.
John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore; given to Walters Art Museum, 2002.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 6/27/2017 | Examination | Cleaned for exhibition |
| 6/27/2017 | Examination | The inlaid silver eyes were tarnished. The eyes were polished using precipitated chalk in a distilled water slurry. The eyes were coated with a lacquer to reduce tarnishing and the need to polish in the future. |
Geographies
India, Karnataka (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 6 × W: 4 15/16 × D: 4 15/16 in. (15.2 × 12.5 × 12.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2002
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.
54.3007