Kundika (Buddhist Ritual Water Sprinkler) Vessel
Asian Art
On View: Asian Galleries, Southwest, 2nd floor
Kundika is a Sanskrit term for a long-necked water-pouring vessel. Throughout Asia these vessels were associated with wandering ascetics, who carried them like canteens. In ancient India, pouring water into the hands of another person was a way to express “your wish is granted.” Because of water’s association with wishes, purification, and nurturing, kundika often appear among the attributes of Buddhist deities such as the future Buddha Maitreya and the Bodhisattva Guanyin. In ritual, they are used to evoke those deities and to pour water for cleansing purposes.
MEDIUM
Bronze
DATES
16th century
PERIOD
Muromachi Period
DIMENSIONS
10 1/2 × 7 × 6 in. (26.7 × 17.8 × 15.2 cm)
from base: 10 1/2 x 4 1/8 in. (26.7 x 10.5 cm)
at mouth: 3 in. (7.6 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
77.141
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stanley L. Wallace
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Asian Galleries, Southwest, 2nd floor
CAPTION
Kundika (Buddhist Ritual Water Sprinkler) Vessel, 16th century. Bronze, 10 1/2 × 7 × 6 in. (26.7 × 17.8 × 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stanley L. Wallace, 77.141. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.141_bw.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 77.141_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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