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Lakshmi (Kichijoten)

Japan

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Image only, H. 46 x W. 21 3/4 in. (116.8 x 55.2 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.208

In this painting, Lakshmi, worshipped in Buddhism as the goddess of wealth and happiness, stands on a lotus pedestal and holds her right hand in the gesture of reassurance. The jewel of wisdom, or wish-granting jewel, rests in her upturned left palm. While the clothing and jewelry worn by the goddess derive from traditions of Buddhist painting that can be traced back to Chinese and Japanese art of the 8th century, the interest in excessive detail, seen in the treatment of the drapery fold and the depiction of the crown, suggest a date in the Meiji period.