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Buddhist Ritual Object in Form of a Canopy on Lotus Base

Asian Art

On View: Asian Galleries, Southwest, 2nd floor
This piece was once displayed on a Buddhist altar in a group representing the Eight Buddhist Treasures, each appearing on a matching base with a lotus at the center. Common additions to Chinese and Tibetan decorative arts, the Treasures symbolize Buddhist ideals and include such items as an endless knot, a golden fish, and a conch shell. The canopy shown here, also called a parasol, represents the shelter provided by Buddhism.
MEDIUM Cloisonne enamel on copper alloy
  • Place Made: China
  • DATES 1736–1795
    DYNASTY Qing Dynasty
    PERIOD Qianlong Period
    DIMENSIONS overall: 15 x 4 3/4 in. (38.1 x 12.1 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Asian Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 09.662
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Samuel P. Avery, Jr.
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Buddhistic Shrine Vase (Dagaba, or t'a) The body, in form of a lotus thalamus, with light pink and white enameling, rests on a cloisonné stand, and supports a small enameled jar with symbolic fillets, above which the Buddhist "kai" or canopy, which is surmounted by the sacred Vajra emblem in gilt bronze.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Asian Galleries, Southwest, 2nd floor
    CAPTION Buddhist Ritual Object in Form of a Canopy on Lotus Base, 1736–1795. Cloisonne enamel on copper alloy, overall: 15 x 4 3/4 in. (38.1 x 12.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Samuel P. Avery, Jr., 09.662. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 09.662_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 09.662_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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