Prince Vessantara Jataka

THAILAND

This illustration is part of a 250-page Traiphum manuscript commissioned by King Taksin (reigned 1767–1782) of Thonburi during the Ayutthaya Kingdom (circa 1350–1767). The manuscript includes illustrations based on Buddhist cosmology, depictions of the three realms, scenes from the Life of the Buddha and the Jataka tales, and detailed maps of South and Southeast Asia.
The Buddha, in a previous life as the generous Prince Vessantara, was exiled by his father after giving away a treasured white elephant to a neighboring kingdom. While in exile, the prince continued his great practice of charity. This illustration depicts a scene in which a brahmin asks the prince for his two young children.
In the lower right corner, the prince sits in front of a mountain shrine, holding his two children. A brahmin kneels below, appearing to beg. Monkeys play with a cloth sack on the left. The figures are carefully posed and expressive. The sinuous mountains and trees in the background are reminiscent of Chinese landscape paintings. A square frame filled with curved lines is painted on the far left, and a coconut tree is carefully illustrated on the right.