Artwork

真言諸尊図像抄|Scroll from the Compendium of Iconographic Drawings (Zuzōshō)

真言諸尊図像抄|Scroll from the Compendium of Iconographic Drawings (Zuzōshō) is an ink painting. It dates from 1183 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The handscroll titled Compendium of Iconographic Drawings (Zuzōshō) is a collection of ink and color drawings on paper.

Accession no.: 1975.268.5
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

About this work

Subject & Meaning

Created in 1183, this handscroll serves as a religious iconographic manual depicting Buddhist deities within the tradition of Shingon Buddhism.

Created in 1183, this handscroll serves as a religious iconographic manual depicting Buddhist deities within the tradition of Shingon Buddhism. As part of the Compendium of Iconographic Drawings (Zuzōshō), the work functions as a visual reference for the accurate representation of divine figures, prioritizing doctrinal precision over narrative storytelling. The imagery illustrates specific Buddhist deities, adhering to established ritual standards essential for esoteric practice in Japan.

The scroll measures 30.2 centimetres in height and spans 781 centimetres in width. Its primary significance lies in its role as a didactic tool for defining the visual identity of these sacred beings, with the anonymous artist using ink and colour on paper to codify their appearance for religious instruction and veneration.

Technique & Style

The work is a handscroll painted in ink and colour on paper, classified as a Buddhist religious painting. It portrays deities within the Buddhist pantheon, reflecting the devotional subject matter typical of the period. Executed in Japan, the scroll measures roughly 30.2 cm in height and 781 cm in length.

The anonymous artist employed traditional iconographic conventions, rendering the figures with stylized attributes characteristic of late Heian religious art. The medium combines ink line work with subtle polychrome washes, a technique common to illustrated manuscript paintings of the era. No detailed condition report is provided in the available documentation.

History & Provenance

The scroll titled 真言諸尊図像抄 (Zuzōshō) is dated to 1183 and was produced as a handscroll using ink and colour on paper in Japan. It belongs to the religious painting genre, depicts Buddhist deities, and forms part of the Compendium of Iconographic Drawings. The work was created by an anonymous painter and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it measures 30.2 cm in height and 781 cm in width.

No commissioning patron is recorded, and the available documentation provides no accession number or record of exhibitions featuring the scroll.

Context

The handscroll titled 真言諸尊図像抄, dated 1183 and housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exemplifies late Heian-period Buddhist visual culture. As an anonymous work from the Compendium of Iconographic Drawings, it functions as a devotional reference within the religious genre, portraying Buddhist deities in ink and colour on paper. Its iconographic format reflects how the appearance of esoteric deities was codified for ritual use during a period of active monastic patronage in Japan.

Overview

The handscroll titled Compendium of Iconographic Drawings (Zuzōshō) is a collection of ink and color drawings on paper. This document served as a practical guide for Buddhist practitioners. It presents numerous depictions of deities and revered figures, carefully rendered to aid in the accurate reproduction of sacred imagery.

Unlike a finished devotional artwork, this scroll functioned as an essential reference tool within monastic traditions, facilitating the correct execution of religious art.