Untitled

Unknown

ca. 14th century · Wood with traces of gilding and distemper on inner surface · Asian Art

In the center, Manjushri brandishes his sword to cut through ignorance and provide the reader with greater access to the text. At right, Avalokiteshvara holds a lotus and clasps his hands in a gesture of veneration (anjali mudra), addressing the reader’s false sense of reality governed by ego and attachment. At left, the striding bodhisattva Vajrapani provides the energy of enlightenment to empower the subtle doctrine of the text. This three-dimensional carved cover presents these bodhisattvas on thrones in elaborate shrine-like enclosures, which are set within a field of roiling clouds.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 14th century

Medium

Wood with traces of gilding and distemper on inner surface

Culture

Tibet

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Jerome Krieger, 1979