遼 鎏金青銅五髻文殊菩薩像|Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, with five knots of hair (Wuji wenshu)

Unknown

mid-11th century · Gilt bronze; lost-wax cast · Asian Art

The five knots of hair represent the five syllables of a Sanskrit invocation, a-ra-paca- na, used in devotions to the bodhisattva of wisdom. Each syllable has a different meaning and can help a devotee gain such benefits as protection from illness.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-11th century

Medium

Gilt bronze; lost-wax cast

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation, Janet Neff Charitable Trust and Christian Humann Gifts; Mrs. Robert Herndon Fife Gift, in memory of her husband; and Seymour Fund, 1967