The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Bodhisattva, probably Manjushri (Wenshu)

Art Object

Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature, and the Arts

Part of a Sunday at the Met held in conjunction with the exhibition Designing Nature: The Rinpa Aesthetic in Japanese Art, on view May 26, 2012–January 13, 2013, this lecture features Haruo Shirane, the Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Recorded September 30, 2012

The exhibition is made possible by The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation.
The catalogue is made possible by the Richard and Geneva Hofheimer Memorial Fund.

Video/Audio (3)

Cambodian Rattan: The Sculpture of Sopheap Pich
(00:02:07) 2271 views

Sunday at the Met: Cambodian Rattan Discussion
(00:57:05) 64 views

Sunday at the Met: Cambodian Rattan Performance
(00:28:04) 60 views

Bodhisattva, probably Manjushri (Wenshu)

Period:: Tang dynasty (618–907)
Date:: 8th–9th century
Culture:: China
Medium:: Gilt leaded bronze, lost-wax cast
Dimensions:: H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm); W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); D. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
Classification:: Sculpture
Credit Line:: Gift of Ernest Erickson Foundation, 1985
Accession Number:: 1985.214.142

This artwork is not on display

Description

The heftiness of this bodhisattva's face and physique is characteristic of sculptures produced in China in the second half of the Tang dynasty, as are the figure's elaborate chignon and heavy jewelry. The text in the bodhisattva's right hand identifies the sculpture as a representation of Manjushri, the embodiment of spiritual wisdom.
See also
What
Metal (59,364)

Sculpture (24,350)

Copper alloy (16,630)

Bronze (11,628)

Gilt (9,043)

Figures (5,008)

Wax (1,259)
Where
Asia (68,071)

China (17,417)
When
A.D. 500-1000 (6,672)
In the Museum
Asian Art (35,222)
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
China, 500–1000 A.D.

Central and North Asia, 500–1000 A.D.
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