
Cleveland Museum of Art
Veneration of the Buddha as a Fiery Pillar
- Date
- 200s CE
- Medium
- limestone
- Culture
- Southern India, Andhra Pradesh, Nagarjunakonda
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object ID
- 123468
From the Cleveland Museum of Art record
At the bottom of this carved panel is the depiction of a pillar incised with cross-hatching and surrounded by a halo of flames. A stylized lotus and a pointed trident symbol marking good fortune and divinity crown the pillar. This image indicates the presence of the Buddha and underscores his superhuman qualities, including radiance and power to work magic. Two male figures hold fly whisks of honor on either side. Above is a golden pillar covered with jewels that the Buddha miraculously generated. Swirling leaves sprout from grooved disks at regular intervals, and celestial beings fly and dance in praise. The acanthus leaves sprouting from the pillar echo Greco-Roman motifs.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Provenance
- ?–1943: (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) | 1943–: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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