Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Narrative Panels with Scenes from the Buddha's Life
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
The upper panel depicts the Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath, in northeastern India, where he had experienced enlightenment. He is seated with his robe over one shoulder; his raised hand seems to be gesturing the turning of the wheel of Buddhist law, or "dharma." This posture is referred to as "dharmacakra mudra," or the gesture of teaching. "Mudra" is a Sanskrit word for a symbolic hand gesture that communicates specific ideas to the viewer.
This panel might have been made to decorate the surface of a stupa, an encased sacred mound containing relics of the Buddha or one of his followers.
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.
Walter Shurkin, Albuquerque, New Mexico; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, August 1969; given to Walters Art Museum, 2008.
Exhibitions
| 2010 | Pilgrimage and Buddhist Art. Asia Society, New York. |
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 3/9/2010 | Examination | examined for loan |
Geographies
Pakistan (Gandhara) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 30 × W: 14 × D: 4 3/8 in. (76.2 × 35.56 × 11.11 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2008
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.
25.259