Mahamayuri on a Peacock in the Metropolitan Museum, August 2025

Title: Mahamayuri on peacock

Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Xuande mark and period (1426–35)

Culture: China

Medium: Gilt copper alloy

Dimensions: H. 57 1/16 in. (145 cm); W. 47 1/4 in. (120 cm); D. 25 9/16 in. (65 cm); Wt. 196.4 lb (89.1 kg)

Credit Line: Lent by Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Object No.: LCB.182a, b

This majestic statue portrays Mahamayuri, known in Chinese as Kongque Mingwang (Peacock Wisdom King), a protector against calamities and a dispeller of poisons from snakebites. This esoteric Buddhist icon reflects an imaginative fusion of Chinese and Tibetan iconographies in the imperial Ming workshop. In the Chinese Buddhist tradition, the icon often has only one face and four arms, while the icon in Tibetan Buddhism does not usually ride a peacock. This new representation of Mahamayuri continued into later centuries. The meticulous treatment of the bodhisattva’s crown and jewelry and the realistic depiction of the peacock exemplify the highest level of craftsmanship achieved in imperial Ming bronzes.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/recasting-the-past-the-art-of-chinese-bronzes-1100-1900/exhibition-objects