Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

JAPAN; Heian period

This 12th century artwork is based on descriptions in the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra and the “Chapter on the Encouragement of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva” in the Lotus Sutra. It depicts Samantabhadra Bodhisattva arriving from a Buddha Land in the east to serve as the guardian of the Lotus Sutra. Though the nimbus and the aureole of the Bodhisattva have peeled away, the rest of the painting is well preserved.
Samantabhadra sits in lotus position on a lotus throne carried on the back of a white elephant. Wearing a floral headdress and flowing stoles, the Bodhisattva gazes downwards with a peaceful expression and joins the palms in front of the chest. The feet of the fierce elephant rest on lotus pedestals atop a trail of swirling clouds. Three small figures stand on the elephants head. Samantabhadra’s clothing and ornaments are colored with partially faded gold and silver paint. A light red wash is applied to the white skin of both the Bodhisattva and the elephant.