Buddhist guardian king (China)

Hanging scroll of a Buddhist Guardian King. China, Ming-dynasty. Hanging scroll of a Buddhist Guardian King. China, Ming-dynasty. Copyright Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 47.18.104.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses a hanging scroll with silk appliqué and embroidery on a silk back material. It measures 96 x 47 cm and has been dated to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

The scroll shows one of the Buddhist guardian kings of the four cardinal directions. He is holding a bow and arrow. The arrow would suggest the Guardian of the East, although the accompanying text identifies him as the Guardian of the West.

Metropolitan Museum of Art online catalogue (retrieved 7 January 2017).

WV

Last modified on Thursday, 13 May 2021 19:34