Japan, Nanbokuchō period (1336–92) / mid- to late 1300s
Shakyamuni with the Sixteen Benevolent Deities
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Shakyamuni with the Sixteen Benevolent Deities as painting (Japan, Nanbokuchō period (1336–92) · mid- to late 1300s).
This painting would have been the main icon for ceremonial readings of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold and cut gold on silk.
The museum's collection notes: The historical Buddha Shakyamuni forms a triad with the bodhisattvas Fugen and Monju. Sixteen deities who protect the Buddhist scripture called the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra surround them. At the bottom left stands the Chinese monk Xuanzang, noted as a Buddhist scholar and translator of religious texts from India, including the Great Wisdom Sutra.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtShakyamuni with the Sixteen Benevolent DeitiesOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.