Gilt bronzeexpand_more
The Suzanne S. Roberts Fund for Asian Artexpand_more 2019.81
Since the early years of Buddhism in South Asia, Buddhists have enshrined funerary relics in stupas, or burial mounds. As Buddhism spread to Northeast Asia in subsequent centuries, thousands of stupas—often tower-like and dubbed “pagodas’” in the West—were constructed, each embedded with bone fragments or other relics (sarira) housed within a
multi-layered reliquary. Many of these sacred burials included precious stones and jewels as well as other sacred objects alongside the primary reliquary holder. This tree-shaped decoration, once attached to the band of a royal crown, is believed to have been buried alongside a pavilion-shaped reliquary (2019.21).
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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