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Source Description

In remarkably pristine condition, this embroidery is from a dispersed set that included images of protectors and bodhisattvas. The embroidery technique and pictorial style are Chinese, but the subject matter and the type of devotional hanging called a thangka are associated with Tibetan Buddhism. Historical records state that during the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), gifts of Buddhist art were sent from China to Tibet, since relationships between Chinese rulers and Tibetan monastic patriarchs were strong and amicable during this time. A Tibetan inscription on the back notes that this figure is the “seventh bodhisattva,” indicating the position in which it would have hung in a temple hall. Odd-numbered works were hung on one side of the main image, and even-numbered works on the other, counting from the center.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
155903
label
Thangka with the Seventh Bodhisattva
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
155903
contentType
object
title
Thangka with the Seventh Bodhisattva
description
In remarkably pristine condition, this embroidery is from a dispersed set that included images of protectors and bodhisattvas. The embroidery technique and pictorial style are Chinese, but the subject matter and the type of devotional hanging called a thangka are associated with Tibetan Buddhism. Historical records state that during the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), gifts of Buddhist art were sent from China to Tibet, since relationships between Chinese rulers and Tibetan monastic patriarchs were strong and amicable during this time. A Tibetan inscription on the back notes that this figure is the “seventh bodhisattva,” indicating the position in which it would have hung in a temple hall. Odd-numbered works were hung on one side of the main image, and even-numbered works on the other, counting from the center.
date
1368–1424
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79944516
genreSpecific
Embroidery
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 43.8 x 19.5 cm (17 1/4 x 7 11/16 in.); Mounted: 56.8 x 31.8 cm (22 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
cul
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
accession
1991.2
Source extras
tec
Silk and gold thread on silk satin ground, embroidery
tombstone
Thangka with the Seventh Bodhisattva, 1368–1424. China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Silk and gold thread on silk satin ground, embroidery; overall: 43.8 x 19.5 cm (17 1/4 x 7 11/16 in.); mounted: 56.8 x 31.8 cm (22 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1991.2
collection
Textiles
inscriptions
inscription
Penned on the reverse is a Tibetan inscription that translates as "the Seventh Bodhisattva."
didYouKnow
The bodhisattva is flanked by two columns, each topped with a <em>makara</em>, a fanciful water creature whose tail becomes lotus scrolls forming an arch over the bodhisattva.
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. "Selected 1991 Acquisitions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 79, no. 2 (1992): 63-83.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 67; Mentioned: p. 83
citation
Wilson, J. Keith, and Anne E. Wardwell. "New Objects/New Insights: Cleveland's Recent Chinese Acquisitions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>81, no. 8 (1994): 270-347.
page_number
Reproduced: 343; Mentioned: p. 342-345, 347
citation
Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. <em>When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles</em>. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art in cooperation with the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1997.
page_number
Mentioned: cat. no. 63, pp. 207–209; Reproduced: p. 208
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em>. Vol. 37 no. 09, November 1997
page_number
Mentioned & reproduced: p. 2
citation
Cunningham, Michael R., Stanislaw J. Czuma, Anne E. Wardwell, and J. Keith Wilson. <em>Masterworks of Asian Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1998.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 80–81
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:06:17.245000
sourceId
155903
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
Silk and gold thread on silk satin ground, embroidery
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
db9fad40bf659c68