Iconographic Drawing of the Bodhisattva Memyō (Ashvaghosha)

12th century

Not on view

This iconographic drawing represents Memyo Bosatsu, a deity of sericulture who provides the poor with clothes. The bodhisattva is thought to have originally been a deity indigenous to Chinese popular cults that was incorporated into Esoteric Buddhist iconography. Atop a lotus pedestal on a white horse, which in turn hovers on clouds, the bodhisattva faces leftward. Multiple arms hold such attributes as a reel, a bunch of thread, and a beam balance, while his hands are folded in a worshipping gesture. Usually he is accompanied by three female attendants bearing offerings associated with sericulture, but this painting illustrates only male figures. Moreover, some differences from the general iconographical features of Memyo Bosatsu, such as the hands in a gesture of worship and the full lotus position of the legs, make this a somewhat rare representation. The tight composition of the figures, shaded in red, the flying clouds, as well as the vividness and strength of the brushwork suggest not an iconographical exercise by a monk but a preliminary Buddhist painting made by a professional artist.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

馬鳴菩薩図像
Title: Iconographic Drawing of the Bodhisattva Memyō (Ashvaghosha)
Period: Heian period (794–1185)
Date: 12th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
Dimensions: Overall: 46 1/4 x 16 1/2 in. (117.5 x 41.9 cm)
Overall with mounting: 46 1/4 x 19 in. (117.5 x 48.3 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
Object Number: 1975.268.10
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Daishōjin Bosatsu, from “Album of Buddhist Deities from the Diamond World and Womb World Mandalas”, Takuma Tametō Japanese, Fragment of an album, mounted as a hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on paper, Japan — Daishōjin Bosatsu, from “Album of Buddhist Deities from the Diamond World and Womb World Mandalas”
Takuma Tametō
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