Page 15 - Chinese Decorative Arts: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 55, no. 1 (Summer, 1997)

a Mandala
Basefr
M
Ming dynasty, early 15th century I andalas were often used in ceremonies the tenth century on and was influential at the
Cloisonne and devotions integral to Esoteric Chinese court from the Yuan through the Qing
Diam. 131/2 in. (34.3 cm) Buddhism, which is noted for its complicated dynasty. Mandalas are cosmic diagrams, in
Purchase, Irving Gft, 1992 pantheon and rituals. This form of Buddhism, which a Buddhist deity functions as the center
Florence and Herbert
which developed in India between the fourth of a self-created universe. This base once
1992.331
and eighth centuries, flourished in Tibet from supported a three-dimensional mandala that
was probably made up of a group of small
figures or took the form of models of temples
and stupas.
The base may have been produced for the
Tibetan market. Ties between China and Tibet
were particularly strong during the early- and
mid-Ming periods, when many lavish ritual
objects were produced in China for use in
Tibet. The decoration of this piece combines
traditional Chinese-style patterns, such as the
lotus scroll, with Buddhist symbols: the wheel
and the overflowing vase placed on top of the
lotus buds on the sides. The treatment of the
flowing lotus scrolls is identical to that on works
of art in other media that can be dated to the
early fifteenth century. DPL

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