明早期 象牙鈕鐵鋄金文殊真言印|Seal with mantra in Vartu script

Unknown

early 15th century · Ivory, turquoise, and iron damascened with gold · Asian Art

Written in Vartu script, the six characters engraved on the bottom of this seal read "aa-ra-pa-tza-na-dhi," which is a mantra of Manjusri, the bodhisattva of wisdom. First developed in India, Vartu script was adapted from cursive Sanskrit by Tibetan monks for ritual use from the eleventh century onward.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 15th century

Medium

Ivory, turquoise, and iron damascened with gold

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift,1993