五髻文殊菩薩像|The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots

Unknown

13th century · Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk · Asian Art

This variant form of the bodhisattva Monju, a deity associated with wisdom, is called Monju with Five Topknots (Gokei Monju). Imagined as a boy sitting cross-legged on a lotus pedestal, he holds his usual attributes: a sword and sacred text. A pair of Sanskrit letters above him stands for Dainichi, the buddha at the center of the Buddhist cosmos.

Artist

Unknown

Date

13th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929