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Stupa
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Stupa
MONGOLIA; Late 17th–early 18th century ; Gilt copper alloy; H: 26 cm; Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
This elegant stupa consists of a base, body, and spire. The Sumeru base is composed of a set of square tiers, followed by round tiers. Each face of the concave section depicts the mount of one of four Buddhas, namely Amitabha's peacock, Aksobhya's elephant, Ratnasambhava's horse, and Amoghasiddhi's kalavinka.
An inverted bowl-shaped body stands on a ring of lotus petals on top of the base. The image of Aksobhya Buddha that was once enshrined within the arched niche is missing and the current clay Buddha is a later creation. The Buddha is seated on a lotus throne forming the bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra. The stacked rings of the spire are surmounted by a canopy, followed by the sun and moon. |
