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Stories of the Previous Lives of the Buddha (Jataka)
OriginEastern Tibet
DateLate 17th-18th century
Dimensions37 × 26 in. (estimated)
MediumPigments on cloth
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2004.20.1
Himalayan Art Resources Number65341
DescriptionTales of Buddha Shakyamuni’s past lives (jataka) are some of the most well-known narratives in Himalayan culture and are often presented in a series of paintings, with each painting depicting a part of the collection of stories. Presented as small vignettes, these narrative scenes are usually arranged around a central image of the Buddha and visually separated by landscape elements. The traditional set of 34 tales, which was later expanded to 108, includes the stories of the Buddha’s previous lives as a bodhisattva, king, merchant, and animal. For example, the scenes in the upper-right corner of this painting depict the story of when the Buddha, in his life as an elephant, saved a group of starving wanderers in the forest by sacrificing his body, hurling himself over a ledge for their sustenance.Not on view
mid-late 14th century
late 18th-19th century
18th century
17th - 18th century
18th century
19th century
