Embroidery of Maitreya Buddha
Silk
Embroidery of Maitreya Buddha
CHINA; Qing dynasty
According to the inscriptions written in four languages on the back, this silk embroidery of Maitreya Buddha was made in 1777 during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). It was an imperial gift to a Tibetan dignitary.
Maitreya Buddha is depicted sitting in full lotus position on a lotus throne. The nimbus is colored in light blue with beige around the edge, and the mandorla is dark blue with a beige outer edge. Maitreya performs the Dharmacakra (Dharma wheel) mudra. In front of the Buddha is an altar on which various offerings are placed; on each side, there is an image of a Bodhisattva. In the background there are rocks and clouds. The Chinese character for “longevity” is repeated around the reddish frame.
Threads of five colors have been used to create contrast in depth and brightness in this embroidery.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts, page 76.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 76,
title = {{Embroidery of Maitreya Buddha}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}