043
The Buddha Matri ("Mother of Buddhas"), Ushnishavijaya, Encased
in a Stupa
Thangka, painting
Cotton support with opaque mineral pigments in waterbased (collagen) binder
21.75 x 26.75 inches
Eastern Tibet Ca. 19th century
Folk tradition
This example of the Buddha Matri, Ushnishavijaya, depicts the central deity
as conceptually inside a stupa, a reliquary mound in which either a Buddha's
relics or commemorative objects are encased. As the "Mother of the
Buddhas," she and the stupa manifest the reality and process of enlightenment.
Like the other Ushnishavijaya painting in the SAMA collection, multiple
stupas, in essence, Buddhas, surround her like offspring.
Natalie Marsh
Museum #: 97.079
Huntington Archive Image Scan #: T1051