Stupa
Chorten
Artist/maker unknown, Tibetan
Geography:
Made in Tibet, Asia
Period:
Medieval PeriodDate:
11th - 14th centuryMedium:
Metal alloyDimensions:
8 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches (22.2 x 10.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
1999-29-1Credit Line:
Purchased with the Stella Kramrisch Fund and with funds contributed by an anonymous donor, 1999
Made in Tibet, Asia
Period:
Medieval PeriodDate:
11th - 14th centuryMedium:
Metal alloyDimensions:
8 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches (22.2 x 10.8 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1999-29-1Credit Line:
Purchased with the Stella Kramrisch Fund and with funds contributed by an anonymous donor, 1999
Label:
In Tibetan Buddhism a stupa represents the mind of a buddha (an enlightened being) and of Buddhist practitioners. This is a Kadam-style stupa, named for a religious order of Tibetan Buddhism that flourished solely between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. The shape is classified as mahaparinirvana, indicating release from cyclic existence. Stupas are used for votive offerings, memorials, and reliquaries, and often contain consecratory items like paper prayers, incense, semi-precious and precious stones, or relics. This consecrated example is sealed with a metal plate stamped with a ritual implement called a visva-vajra, here unusually adorned with emerging flowers.
In Tibetan Buddhism a stupa represents the mind of a buddha (an enlightened being) and of Buddhist practitioners. This is a Kadam-style stupa, named for a religious order of Tibetan Buddhism that flourished solely between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. The shape is classified as mahaparinirvana, indicating release from cyclic existence. Stupas are used for votive offerings, memorials, and reliquaries, and often contain consecratory items like paper prayers, incense, semi-precious and precious stones, or relics. This consecrated example is sealed with a metal plate stamped with a ritual implement called a visva-vajra, here unusually adorned with emerging flowers.
