Tapestry of the Amitabha Sutra
Tapestry of the Amitabha Sutra
CHINA; Qing dynasty
Created during the Qing dynasty, this tapestry of the Amitabha Sutra consists of 21 pages with rich illustrations. It is kept in a wooden box engraved with two dragons.
The first illustration depicts Sakyamuni Buddha teaching the Dharma to Bodhisattvas and disciples at Jetavana Monastery. The Buddha has curly blue hair and a red usnisa. Wearing a red robe with long sleeves, he sits on a lotus throne beneath a canopy and performs the vitarka (teaching) mudra. There are swirling clouds and rugged mountains in both the lower and upper registers. In the second illustration, Skanda and the Four Heavenly Kings stand on clouds among rugged mountain ranges and steep cliffs.
The Amitabha Sutra is in regular script with clearly defined strokes. 1,858 characters are woven on 21 pages with borders along the top and bottom. The cover has bats flying among clouds against a blue background. Surrounding the title are the eight auspicious symbols.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts, page 331.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youji and Pokorski, Stefanie and Mankuang and Fan, Wen,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Artifacts },
pages = 331,
title = {{Tapestry of the Amitabha Sutra}},
volume = 18,
year = {2016}}