Festive Burmese in their best clothes stroll around the Great Golden Spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda during Thadingyut

1951
(French, 1908–2004)
Image: 16.1 x 24.1 cm (6 5/16 x 9 1/2 in.); Paper: 16.1 x 24.1 cm (6 5/16 x 9 1/2 in.)
© Henri Cartier-Bresson
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Description

Buddhist manuscripts and images are kept in monasteries that are also sites of monuments called stupas or pagodas, which contain sacred relics. Many Buddhists visit the monasteries on festival days, such as Thadingyut, shown here. Thadingyut commemorates the return of the Buddha back to earth after spending a season in heaven giving teachings to his mother, who died seven days after he was born.

The colossal Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar’s capital of Yangon (Rangoon) was first constructed in the 6th century. Its current expanded form, covered with gold plates, was completed in 1775 by King Hsinbyushin (Burmese, reigned 1763–76). Dwarfing the visitors, its spire soars to nearly 350 feet. Only the moldings of the base terraces and clusters of smaller stupas are visible in the background.
Festive Burmese in their best clothes stroll around the Great Golden Spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda during Thadingyut

Festive Burmese in their best clothes stroll around the Great Golden Spire of the Shwedagon Pagoda during Thadingyut

1951

Henri Cartier-Bresson

(French, 1908–2004)
France, 20th century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.