title: Iconography of Buddhism: The Tradition of Depicting the Old White Man
metadata.name: dc.contributor.author
metadata.value: Bicheev, Baazr A.
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.accessioned
metadata.value: 2023-10-31T14:19:28Z
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.available
metadata.value: 2023-10-31T14:19:28Z
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.issued
metadata.value: 2023-09
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.identifier.citation
metadata.value: Bicheev, Baazr. “Iconography of Buddhism: The Tradition of Depicting the Old White Man”. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Arts 13, no. 3 (2023): 576–596. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2023.310 (In Russian)
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.identifier.other
metadata.value: https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2023.310
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.identifier.uri
metadata.value: http://hdl.handle.net/11701/44326
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.description.abstract
metadata.value: The Old White Man is a local deity revered by Buddhists in Russia. His image, based on textual
  traditions and Buddhist iconography, prompted the name — the Old White Man, now widely
  accepted. In the written sources he is also known as the “Conqueror and subduer of the [master
  spirits] of earth and water”. The early images appeared in Mongolia under the influence of
  the Chinese traditional pictures of Tú Dì, ancient deities associated with localities, while later
  they were influenced by traditional images of Shòuxing, the deity of longevity. At an early stage
  of the iconographic tradition, the Old White Man is depicted as a priest or a high official; his
  functions are rendered via the characters of his companions, the host spirits of mountains
  (sabdaks) that have the features of man and animal or animals, such as a pair of deer, chained
  leopard (wolf), as well as ritual objects, including a carved staff or a dragon head staff. At
  a later stage, there may be symbols associated with the giver of longevity and fertility (bald phallic head, cave, and peach). The text of the “Sutra of the Old White Man” includes the description
  of his appearance (a white-bearded, bare-headed old man in a white robe), attributes
  (a dragon head staff) and an allegorical landscape of a mountain and fruit trees. Neither early
  nor recent Mongolian and Buryat pictures fully correspond to the description. Much closer to
  it is the Kalmyk iconographic tradition. The Old White Man’s image of the Kalmyk nomads
  goes back to the ancient mythological idea of the deity as the keeper of domestic animals. Due
  to transformations in the religious sphere, the keeper of domestic animals becomes the Old
  White Man, the lord of all living beings and all earthly space. Traditionally, he is presented as a
  standing old man, bare-headed and his long gray hair gathered in the form of a triratna. He is
  dressed in a belted robe, with another swinging robe thrown on it. In his right hand, he holds
  a staff with a dragon’s head and a rosary in his left. There are no companions or animals. The
  symbolic landscape serves to enhance the grandiose figure of the old man. The details of the
  attire and the landscape refer to the former Chinese influence.
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.language.iso
metadata.value: ru
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.publisher
metadata.value: St Petersburg State University
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.relation.ispartofseries
metadata.value: Vestnik of St Petersburg University. Arts;Volume 13; Issue 3
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: Buddhism
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: local deities
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: Old White Man
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: textual traditions
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: religious iconography
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: the tradition of the deity’s iconography
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: artistic influence
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.title
metadata.value: Iconography of Buddhism: The Tradition of Depicting the Old White Man
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.type
metadata.value: Article
metadata.lang: en_GB
resources.filename: 10.pdf
resources.url: https://dspace.spbu.ru/bitstream/11701/44326/1/10.pdf
resources.format: Adobe PDF
resources.size: 9,85 MB