Western Paradise (Taima Mandala)

Western Paradise (Taima Mandala)

17th century
Country
Japan
Object
painting
Medium
Ink, color, and gold on silk
Accession Number
1971.64
Credit Line
Given in honor of Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes by John Davis Hatch

Western Paradise (Taima Mandala). Japan, 1600s, Edo period. Ink, color, and gold on silk. Gift in honor of Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes by John Davis Hatch, 1971.64

Dimensions
image height: 43.25 in, 109.8550 cm; image width: 37 in, 93.9800 cm; overall height: 47 in, 119.38 cm; overall width: 38 3/4 in, 98.425 cm
Department
Arts of Asia
Collection
Arts of Asia

Western Paradise (Taima Mandala)
Japan
1600s, Edo period
Ink, color, and gold on silk
Gift in honor of Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes by John Davis Hatch
1971.64

Amida Buddha's Western Paradise is masterfully depicted in this seventeenth-century ink and gold painting. The Taima mandala, as it is known, depicts the luxurious qualities associated with the Western Paradise. Amida sits at the center, presiding over his palaces and lakes and flanked by bodhisattvas. Small figures can be seen in the lotus buds opening on these lakes, a reference to the rebirth of devoted practitioners into the Western Paradise. Rebirth in the Pure Land was more likely for practitioners who adamantly recited the name of Amida, a mantra known in Japanese as "nembutsu."

Known Provenance
At least 1971, Mr. and Mrs. John Davis Hatch, Lenox MA; 1971, DAM collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Hatch.
Exhibition History
  • “The Light Show” — Denver Art Museum, 5/19/2019 – 3/7/2021