Object Image

Female Attendants

Unknown Artist

These elegant female figures would have originally been in a portable, wooden shrine with a central ivory depicting the Buddha. One holds a chaurī, or flywhisk, a frequent attribute of attendants, while the one originally on the left holds a lotus. Both display a graceful contraposto (tribhanga). Their rich jewelry contrasts successfully with the softness of their flesh.

Credit: John L. Severance Fund

700s

Ivory

7.5 cm

1972.35

Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2024

Where you'll find this

The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Permanent collection