Tibet
19th century
Tibet
19th century
On loan from the Collection of the Newark Museum, bequest of Elizabeth P. Martin.
Amitayus is one of the three deities of long life and widely worshipped in all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. This statue shows him holding a long-life vase with the tree of life. He is adorned with a crown and flowing silk scarves. A large inlay of turquoise decorates the center of his forehead where the tuft of hair, or urna, is found on buddha images. His peaceful face has painted eyes as well as lips. His lower garment (dhoti) is discernible around his crossed ankles only by its hem, which pools in a fanlike manner on the surface of his lotus throne.
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
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