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

Unidentified

14th century · Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk · Asian Art

This painting portrays a variant form of the bodhisattva Monju known as Monju with Five Topknots (Gokei Monju). He is imagined as a boy sitting cross-legged on a lotus pedestal atop a lion. He carries a sword, used to cut through ignorance, and a lotus, above which hovers a scroll representing the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. The five topknots symbolize five buddhas who are said to embody five types of cognition.

Artist

Unidentified

Date

14th century

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink, color, and gold on silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Sue Cassidy Clark, in honor of Barbara Brennan Ford, 2020