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This red buddha with his left hand in the gesture of giving is one of the Eight Medicine Buddhas, most likely Abhijnaraja, who occupies the northeastern direction in the mandala. Not only do this figure’s color and gesture conform to the representation of Abhijnaraja, but many of the other figures shown in this painting are associated with the northeast. The buddha is flanked by two white bodhisattvas, one holding a vase, the other a lotus. In the bottom row from left to right are the directional guardians Yaksha and Ishana, the Earth Goddess, and the Four Great Kings. In the top corners are Maitreya and an Indian scholar.
Medicine Buddha Abhijnaraja
OriginLadakh
Date14th century
Dimensions12 1/2 × 8 7/8 × 1/4 in.
MediumPigments on cloth
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2004.11.1
Himalayan Art Resources Number65355
DescriptionThis appealing small painting most likely comes from Ladakh in the western Himalayas, where a number of monuments are decorated withsimilar naive paintings. This style is a local variant on contemporaneous central Tibetan painting styles with strong associations to Nepalese art, as visible here in the yellow dividing lines structuring the painting and the details of the back of the throne. Other minor details, such as the clothing of the Four Great Kings at the right of the bottom register, are indicative of Ladakh. The strict composition is somewhat softened by the painting’s handmade quality, with hand-drawn dividing lines.This red buddha with his left hand in the gesture of giving is one of the Eight Medicine Buddhas, most likely Abhijnaraja, who occupies the northeastern direction in the mandala. Not only do this figure’s color and gesture conform to the representation of Abhijnaraja, but many of the other figures shown in this painting are associated with the northeast. The buddha is flanked by two white bodhisattvas, one holding a vase, the other a lotus. In the bottom row from left to right are the directional guardians Yaksha and Ishana, the Earth Goddess, and the Four Great Kings. In the top corners are Maitreya and an Indian scholar.
Not on view
18th century
dated by inscription, 1871
18th - 19th century
19th century
15th century
19th century (?)
late 18th - early 19th century
mid-late 14th century
early to mid-14th century