Preaching Amitabha with Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, folio 186 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Preaching Amitabha with Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, folio 186 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is a 14 unspecified by Unknown, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 14
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a red Buddha sitting under a tree, flanked by two colorful holy figures and a pair of geese perched above. This tiny painting was one page in a 188-page book copied by hand in 1119. The scribe worked in India, but the artists were from Nepal, blending two traditions on one small sheet. To see more work from the same place, look up *eastern india, bihar, vikramashila monastery. painting: nepal, kathmandu*.

The story of this work

Overview

The red Buddha Amitabha is seated under a tree on a throne in the middle of the upper page; two geese—his animal emblems—perch at the top on either side. A white and red bodhisattva are on either side. This manuscript, consisting of 188 double-sided folios, was calligraphed by a scribe at a monastery in northeastern India, commissioned by a monk from Nepal. Judging from the style of the paintings, they are the work of Nepalese artists.

Read the full account in the museum source.