Leaves from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
These two illuminated palm leaves are from a now-dispersed manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, a text understood to contain the totality of Mahayana ideology in eight thousand verses. Above is Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara, a four-armed manifestation of the bodhisattva, which is associated with his six-syllable mantra popular across Tibet. Below, Avalokiteshvara is shown with six arms and sitting with one leg pendant in the posture of a god, referring to his accessible presence in a celestial sphere.
Artwork Details
- Title: Leaves from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
- Artist: Mahavihara Master
- Period: Pala period
- Date: early 12th century
- Culture: India, West Bengal or Bangladesh
- Medium: Ofpaque watercolor, black carbon-based ink, and mineral- and vegetable-based pigments on palm leaf
- Dimensions: Page: 2 3/4 x 16 7/16 in. (7 x 41.8 cm)
Image: 2 1/2 x 1 15/16 in. (6.4 x 4.9 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001
- Object Number: 2001.445a
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
Mahavihara Master
early 12th century
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