Hanging with Twenty Embroidered Buddhas Appliqued on a Yellow Silk Ground

The Chinese banner is appliqued with twenty finely embroidered Buddhas. The design scheme of myriad Buddhas graphically represents the idea that Buddhas can appear endlessly in countless universes throughout time. Kasaya embroidered with rows of small, seated Buddhas were not created for use as garments to be worn by priests, but rather for display during important occasions, to wrap around statues of the Buddhas were not created for use as garments to be worn by meditation. Although no twenty of the gently smiling Buddhas applied to this hanging are identical, each is shown seated on a lotus throne and framed by a flaming nimbus that indicates his divinity.