On view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Fifth Avenue venue in New York City, a 700-year-old Chinese Buddhist mural exudes a magnificent nobility that captivates eyes and hearts worldwide, including those from its birthplace across the Pacific Ocean.
This 14th-century mural, known as Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi Fo), depicts a celestial scene in which the central figure, the Buddha of Medicine, sits on a lotus throne surrounded by deities.
It is monumental in size — 7.5 meters tall and over 15 m at its widest part — and resplendent with details so rich that one can't help but imagine the endeavoring efforts and physical challenges of its creators. It is regarded as a paragon of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) mural art.
In March 2024, a special group of painters and conservators joined its audience. These members of the Chinese National Academy of Arts traveled from Beijing to appreciate its one-of-a-kind beauty with an ambitious mission — to make a life-size facsimile.
They returned to New York City several times in the following two years, working closely with their counterparts at The Met and ensuring the reproduction's accuracy.
The Chinese National Academy of Arts recently launched a website featuring documentaries of this mission, with collaborations between professionals in China and the United States. A virtual reality experience also allows viewers to examine the facsimile.
In Beijing, visitors can see the work themselves at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, where the copied mural is the centerpiece at Mubixungu Danqingzhiyuan (Tracing Antiquity through Mural Copying, Reaching afar through Brush and Color), an exhibition ending Nov 15.
