Processional Mask of a Bodhisattva
Unknown Artist
late 1100s
Medium
wood, lacquered and painted
Dimensions
h. 22 cm, d. 16 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Japanese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1950.581
About this artwork
This ceremonial mask was used in a dramatic enactment of the descent of the Buddha Amida and his entourage to welcome the dying to his Pure Land. The mask represents the face of an enlightened being called a bodhisattva. Performances of the welcoming descent had begun by the early 11th century and continue at some temples today.