Scenes from Life of the Buddha
Medium
Accordion-fold album (Burmese: parabaik), watercolors, ink and gold on mulberry bark paper, with tooled leather boards
Dimensions
Image: 21 3/4 × 8 in. (55.2 × 20.3 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture
Myanmar (Burma), Mandalay
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2022
Accession Number
2022.152
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This exquisite accordion-fold album, known in Burmese as a *abaik*, presents scenes from the life of Buddha in vibrant watercolors, ink and gold on mulberry paper. Created in Mandalay during the 1880s, it features tooled leather covers that reflect the refined craftsmanship of the royal. Measuring just over 21 inches in height, compact format allowed the unfolding narrative to be viewed sequentially, guiding the viewer through key episodes of the Buddha’s journey. Attributed to the patronage of Kings Mindon and Thibaw, the final monarchs of the Konbaung dynasty, the album was produced in a pe...
About the Artist
King Mindon|King Tibaw (Burmese|Burmese) · 1853 |1878 –1878 |1885
Burmese, r. 1853–78|Burmese, r. 1878–85