秀製筆 騎獅文殊図|Monju on a Lion

Shūsei

late 15th century · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Asian Art

Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom known as Monjū in Japan, sits cross-legged on the back of his lion vehicle. He appears as a youth in flowing robes, his hair worn long and loose; one of his attributes, a scepter, lies casually on the ground before him. Although this work offers a decidedly carefree interpretation, its iconography is consistent with examples by painters affiliated with the Zen monastery Tōfukuji in Kyoto.

Artist

Shūsei

Date

late 15th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015