Open full image Pin

Bodhisattva Manjushri with two forms of Avalokiteshvara, folio 348 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array)

Unknown

1104

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Medieval Religious Nepal

Dominant colour

Bodhisattva Manjushri with two forms of Avalokiteshvara, folio 348 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array) is a 1104 unspecified by Unknown, depicting Nepal, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1104
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see three golden figures on a deep red page: a central teacher with a flaming halo, flanked by two forms of the same compassionate deity—one with two arms, one with four. This painting comes from a Nepalese manuscript made over 900 years ago. The flames around the halo aren’t just decoration; they’re meant to show spiritual energy, like heat rising from a fire. The two Avalokiteshvaras show how one idea can take different shapes in art. For more like this, look up *nepal*.

The story of this work

Overview

The Bodhisattvas of Wisdom and Compassion sit in majesty, with Manjushri in the preaching gesture in the center, being honored by two worshipers. His mandorla dances with flames, and tongues of flames encircle its border. Two different forms of Avalokiteshvara are in the flanking paintings, a two-armed and a four-armed form.