The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots

14th century

Not on view

This painting portrays a variant form of the bodhisattva Monju known as Monju with Five Topknots (Gokei Monju). He is imagined as a boy sitting cross-legged on a lotus pedestal atop a lion. He carries a sword, used to cut through ignorance, and a lotus, above which hovers a scroll representing the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. The five topknots symbolize five buddhas who are said to embody five types of cognition.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

五髻文殊菩薩像
Title: The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots
Artist: Unidentified Artist, Japanese
Period: Nanbokuchō period (1336–92)
Date: 14th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk
Dimensions: Image: 36 1/4 × 16 9/16 in. (92 × 42 cm)
Overall with mounting: 70 1/2 × 23 1/2 in. (179.1 × 59.7 cm)
Overall with knobs: 70 1/2 × 25 5/8 in. (179.1 × 65.1 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in honor of Barbara Brennan Ford, 2020
Object Number: 2020.75.1
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots, Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Japan — The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots
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Mandala of the Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) of the Eight Syllables, Hanging scroll; ink, color, gold, and gold leaf on silk, Japan — Mandala of the Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) of the Eight Syllables
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