Model Pagoda
ca. 15th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a gold reliquary in the form of a hemispherical, Buddhist commemorative monument called a stupa. The shape refers to the original funerary mounds which were built in India to house relics of the Buddha. It formed part of a gold hoard (see ceremonial helmet 02758 (IS)), dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, and thus to the Mon kingdom of Pegu.
The hoard was excavated from a stupa relic chamber at the base of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda (literally 'Golden Temple') in Rangoon in 1855. Embossed and chased with lion, floral and foliate motifs, like other miniature stupas, it could have served either as a ritual object or as a container for the ashes of a highly respected monk.
The hoard was excavated from a stupa relic chamber at the base of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda (literally 'Golden Temple') in Rangoon in 1855. Embossed and chased with lion, floral and foliate motifs, like other miniature stupas, it could have served either as a ritual object or as a container for the ashes of a highly respected monk.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Gold, formed by raising and finished with repoussé and incised work |
| Brief description | Burmese gold reliquary in the form of a stupa, Mon Kingdom of Pegu, ca. 15th cen. embossed and chased with lion, floral and foliate designs. |
| Physical description | A reliquary (which is hollow to contain relics or offerings) in the shape of a stupa or pagoda in four parts: the dome; finial;(part of which is lost) and two foliated tiers. A band of petals girdles its base. Above are square panels, each embossed with an alternating design of a lion and a flower. Over this panel are petals interspersed with a lion mask disgorging ornaments. Three rings rise above it to another row of petals leading to the base of the dome, which is decorated with bodhi leaves. The borders of the the waisted plinth for the now missing finial are further decorated with bodhi leaves. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Gallery label | Reliquary in the Form of a Stupa
Possibly 1400–1700
Along with the headdress, this was excavated in 1855
from a relic chamber at the base of the Shwedagon
Pagoda (literally ‘Golden Temple’) in Rangoon. Like other
miniature stupas, it might have been a container for the
ashes of a respected monk, or it might simply have been
a ritual object.
Gold
Burma (Rangoon
(now Yangon))
Museum no. 02755(IS)(14/06/2011) |
| Historical context | Stupa (sanskrit) zeidi (Burmese) was originally a burial mound, adapted by Buddhists as a monument to enshrine relics of the Buddha and to mark important sites of Buddhism. |
| Production | Excavated by labourers when building barracks on the site of an old pagoda east of the Shwe Dagon, Rangoon in 1855. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a gold reliquary in the form of a hemispherical, Buddhist commemorative monument called a stupa. The shape refers to the original funerary mounds which were built in India to house relics of the Buddha. It formed part of a gold hoard (see ceremonial helmet 02758 (IS)), dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, and thus to the Mon kingdom of Pegu. The hoard was excavated from a stupa relic chamber at the base of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda (literally 'Golden Temple') in Rangoon in 1855. Embossed and chased with lion, floral and foliate motifs, like other miniature stupas, it could have served either as a ritual object or as a container for the ashes of a highly respected monk. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Other number | 7592 - India Museum Slip Book |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 02755 to C/(IS) |
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| Record created | March 17, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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