Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Abhidhamma-varana-pitaka
Sixteen pairs of paintings depict monks meditating on human corpses during different stages of decomposition, ranging from swollen bloated bodies not long dead, and skeletons and dry bones. This unusual manuscript is written in Cambodian Mul script in Pali, with some notes in Thai. It is a commentary on the Abhidhamma scriptures. The study of corpses is a primary focus of Buddhist meditation, teaching the impermanence of our material existence. Meditation on corpses is often included in illustrated Buddhist manuscripts, particularly Phra Malai manuscripts, and is here extensively treated in many scenes. The last opening depicts the lighting of a funeral pyre.
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.
-1935
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 8/1/1985 | Treatment | re-housed |
Geographies
Thailand (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Overall (folded) 66 x 137.8 cm
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
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.716