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According to the inscription at the base of this print, this assembly is to be printed on cloth and represents the sublime liturgy taught by the Buddha that cures just by looking at it. Seated on a lotus arising from the waters, the Buddha is shown surrounded by sixteen bodhisattvas. In the landscape around this central assembly are four groups of eight: buddhas at the top right, solitary buddhas (pratyekabuddha) at top left, bodhisattvas at bottom right, and disciples (shravaka). Avalokiteshvara and a protector deity have been placed on rocky projections and show their devotion to the main assembly, while arhats and spiritual adepts (siddhas) practice in rock caves.
Woodblock Print of the Buddha with His Assembly
OriginChina
Date18th - 19th century
Dimensions41 3/4 x 1 1/2 x 26 7/8 in. (106 x 3.8 x 68.3 cm)
MediumXylograph ink on paper
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2010.16
DescriptionA printing block made of three planks of wood was used to create the imagery and text of this print, the seams recognizable as two fine horizontal lines interrupting the illustration. Chinese woodblock prints can be distinguished from those of Tibet by the gradation of their lines, some of which are extremely fine, and areas of solid black. In addition, numerous other motifs found in this work reveal a Chinese origin, among them the parasol above the Buddha, some of the offerings held by the flanking divinities, the arhats with their high foreheads, and the clouds in the shape of a magic scepter (ruyi), an example of which is actually being held by one of the arhats. According to the inscription at the base of this print, this assembly is to be printed on cloth and represents the sublime liturgy taught by the Buddha that cures just by looking at it. Seated on a lotus arising from the waters, the Buddha is shown surrounded by sixteen bodhisattvas. In the landscape around this central assembly are four groups of eight: buddhas at the top right, solitary buddhas (pratyekabuddha) at top left, bodhisattvas at bottom right, and disciples (shravaka). Avalokiteshvara and a protector deity have been placed on rocky projections and show their devotion to the main assembly, while arhats and spiritual adepts (siddhas) practice in rock caves.
Not on view
ca. 1975
ca. 1975
late 19th or 20th century
1736–1795
Date unknown
dated by inscription, 1871
19th century
17th - 18th century
16th century
17th century