Manuscript Cover with the Bodhisattva Manjushri Flanked by Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara

ca. 14th century

Not on view

In the center, Manjushri brandishes his sword to cut through ignorance and provide the reader with greater access to the text. At right, Avalokiteshvara holds a lotus and clasps his hands in a gesture of veneration (anjali mudra), addressing the reader’s false sense of reality governed by ego and attachment. At left, the striding bodhisattva Vajrapani provides the energy of enlightenment to empower the subtle doctrine of the text. This three-dimensional carved cover presents these bodhisattvas on thrones in elaborate shrine-like enclosures, which are set within a field of roiling clouds.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Manuscript Cover with the Bodhisattva Manjushri Flanked by Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara
Date: ca. 14th century
Culture: Tibet
Medium: Wood with traces of gilding and distemper on inner surface
Dimensions: H. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm); W. 24 3/4 in. (52.8 cm); D. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm)
Classification: Woodwork
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Jerome Krieger, 1979
Object Number: 1979.515
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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