A JAPANESE NIRVANA PAINTING (NEHAN-ZU) EDO PERIOD, 17TH CENTURY OR EARLIER

depicting the deceased Buddha lying peacefully on a bed beneath flowering sala trees, surrounded by a large crowd of weeping and grieving mourners comprising fifty-two kinds of beings including bodhisattvas depicted in princely raiment with jeweled crowns, flowers scarves and necklaces, disciples with shaved heads, deities, guardians and lay people accompanied by thirty animals while from the upper right his mother Mahamaya hastens down from the Heaven of the thirty-three gods

Collection of Terrence O. Kennedy, Cleveland.

The painting shows some several horizontal creases (some of them are visible in the catalogue illustration). In some of these, the silk canvas has split. Some of the older creases have been stabilized with narrow strips on the back of the painting. There are also some old areas of restoration to the painting, particularly to the trunk of the second tree on the left hand side. There is some minor loss to the pigment, particularly to the upper central part (visible in the catalogue illustration). The upper part of the painting is also darker than the lower part.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The commemoration of the death of the Buddha and his entry into nirvana is one of the most important events in the Buddhist calendar, marking the final of the eight major events in his life. Marked with special ceremonies on the 15th day of the second month, large painted images of the Buddha entering final nirvana (nehan-zu), appeared as the focus of worship in such ceremonies from the Nara period (710-794) onwards. The present painting is rare, yet it follows the standard stylistic and iconographic conventions of this type as evidenced in the earliest surviving examples dating to the Heian period.