CENTER FOR BURMA STUDIES
  • HOME
  • Conferences
  • Resources
    • CURRENT AND ONLINE EXHIBITS >
      • Americans in Burma: The Art of Collecting
      • Performing Nat Pwe
      • Looking at Women in Contemporary Burma​
      • The Art of Surviving: ​ The Journey of Burmese Karen Refugees in Illinois
    • PAST EXHIBITIONS
    • Archived Bulletins
    • Past events
  • The Transmission of Religious Knowledge
  • >
  • Elephant Tusks with carvings of the Twenty-Eight Previous Buddhas

Elephant Tusks with carvings of the Twenty-Eight Previous Buddhas

SKU:
$0.00
Unavailable
per item

Ivory

Burma/Myanmar; 19th Century

BC 87.01.29.00, BC 87.01.30.00; Northern Illinois University

Konrad and Sarah Bekker Collection


In Burmese temples, generous donors sometimes offered elaborately carved ivory tusks to be placed on either side of a central Buddha image. The fine pair of carved tusks in the NIU Burma collection represents the Twenty-eight Buddhas from the past: iconography widely popular amongst the Burmese since the Pagan period. For each of these predecessors of the historical Buddha so created, the donor would receive additional merit.

The annually-performed ritual of the Twenty-eight Buddhas is also illustrated in early wall paintings and in stone relief, and in wood and bronze sculptures; as well as by ivory carvings like these.

Add to Cart
Picture
  • HOME
  • Conferences
  • Resources
    • CURRENT AND ONLINE EXHIBITS >
      • Americans in Burma: The Art of Collecting
      • Performing Nat Pwe
      • Looking at Women in Contemporary Burma​
      • The Art of Surviving: ​ The Journey of Burmese Karen Refugees in Illinois
    • PAST EXHIBITIONS
    • Archived Bulletins
    • Past events