Minneapolis Institute of Art
Kichijōten (Shri-mahadevi)
JapanLinkedCulture matchlcp-9cfc54f21d2c
- Date
- first half 14th century
- Medium
- Lacquered and polychromed Japanese cypress
- Department
- Asian Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 122380
From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record
Shri-mahadevi is a female Buddhist divinity with Hindu origins. In Hinduism, she is Lakshmi, a goddess associated with good fortune and the wife of Vishnu, one of Hinduism’s three principal gods. Chinese Buddhists, however, transformed her into a deva , a supernatural being that has extreme longevity but remains outside the realm of enlightenment and attempts to assist believers on the path toward salvation. Married to Vaishravana-deva, Guardian of the North, Shri-mahadevi likewise is associated with protection of the north, which was believed to be a dangerous direction inhabited by demons and other evils. In this Japanese sculpture, she wears a robe that was once brightly colored with floral patterns—clothing common among women in China’s Tang dynasty (618–907), a nod to her Chinese roots. Asia
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation
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