Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree (1600–1650): Art, History and Details

Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree (1600–1650) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The historical Buddha Shakyamuni is seated in meditative posture upon the backs of three demons under the bodhi tree, where he achieved enlightenment. All three demons have horns like devils, and two have green skin. While they accommodate the Buddha, his weight seems to keep them under control. Since the Buddha’s hands do not conform to any accepted gesture, the specific religious event portrayed is unclear.

Object facts

• Title: Shakyamuni under the Bodhi Tree
• Date: 1600–1650
• Culture: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
• Dimensions: Painting: 128.5 x 62 cm (50 9/16 x 24 7/16 in.); Overall with knobs: 259 x 82.5 cm (101 15/16 x 32 1/2 in.)
• Collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1971.68

A detail from the museum

The blue-green style and grotesque goblins suggest an otherworldly sphere.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Ho, Wai-kam, Sherman E. Lee, Laurence Sickman, and Marc F. Wilson. Eight Dynasties of Chinese Painting: The Collections of the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1980.
• Zhiyi. Stopping and Seeing: A Comprehensive Course in Buddhist Meditation. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.
• Menzies, Jackie. Buddha: Radiant Awakening. Sydney: Art Gallery NSW, 2001.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.