Keywords: Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru.jpg K'o-ssu depicting w Mount Meru Yuan dynasty 1271 “1368 Silk tapestry kesi 33 x 33 in 83 8 x 83 8cm This elaborate tapestry-woven mandala or cosmic diagram illustrates Indian imagery introduced into China in conjunction with the advent of Esoteric Buddhism At the center is the mythological Mount Meru represented as an inverted pyramid topped by a lotus a Buddhist symbol of purity Traditional Chinese symbols for the sun three-legged bird and moon rabbit appear at the mountain ™s base The landscape vignettes at the cardinal directions represent the four continents of Indian mythology but follow the conventions of Chinese-style blue-and-green landscapes The dense floral border derives from imagery of central Tibet particularly from monasteries with ties to the court of the Yuan dynasty http //www metmuseum org/collections/search-the-collections/60006768 fullscreen author century 14 PD-old-100 Mount Meru mythology Silk textiles Paintings uploaded by Chris Woodrich Mythological cosmologies |