Manuthiha, Guardian at the Shwe-Dagon Pagoda; Corner of great pagoda

Object - Photograph
Place of origin - Burma ( photographed
Date - 1852
Artist/ Maker - McCosh, John (Dr) ( photographer )
Material and Techniques - Calotype
Gallery Location - Victoria & Albert Museum, London ( In Store )
Museum number - 85 : 300

Physical description

This photograph shows a European man in uniform standing infront of a manuthiha, a seated creature with a human nead and the body of a lion.

Dimensions

Height: 15.8 cm (image)
Width: 12.7 cm (image)
Height: 33.2 cm (mount)
Width: 26.8 cm (mount)

Descriptive line

'Corner of great Pagoda' by John McCosh, calotype, Burma, 1850s

Labels and date

Manuthiha, Guardian at the Shwe-Dagon Pagoda
Rangoon (Yangon), About AD 600
By John McCosh (1805–85)

A manuthiha is a seated creature with a human head and the body of a lion. Believed to ward off danger, they are sometimes found guarding the corners of a pagoda. John McCosh was a doctor and amateur photographer stationed in Burma during the Anglo-Burmese War of 1852. This rare photograph is one of the earliest surviving images of the region. [60 words]

Albumen print, 1852–3
Museum no. 85,300

Shape - rectangular

Subjects depicted - Buddhist

Categories

Photographs; Buddhism

Collection code

IND