Provenance:
Christian Humann (Pan-Asian Collection), 1974-1982
Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, New York
Christie's New York, March 17, 2015, no. 10
American Private Collection
Exhibited:
On loan to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976-82 (L.76.24.3)
Manjushri sits in vajraparyankasana, his hands joined in samadhi mudra, the gesture of meditative concentration. The face is marked by lowered eyes, a small mouth, and rounded cheeks. Elongated earlobes frame the head beneath a tall tripartite crown filled with scrolling foliate ornament and bordered by fine beading. Traces of gilding remain in the recessed areas of the crown, necklaces, armlets, and garments. Engraved lines define the folds of the shawl and lower garment, while raised and incised details articulate the jewelry.
Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, has long occupied an important place in Nepalese Buddhism. He is often identified by the sword that cuts through ignorance and the lotus supporting the Prajnaparamita manuscript. Here, however, the folded hands, composed expression, and measured stillness emphasize his association with transcendent wisdom. The proportions, elaborate ornament, and finely worked surface are characteristic of Newar bronze sculpture of the eleventh century.
At the time this bronze was made, the Kathmandu Valley and eastern India were closely connected through monks, teachers, and pilgrims travelling between the two regions. Images, manuscripts, and other objects also passed between them, carrying religious ideas and artistic forms with them. Such movement helped introduce eastern Indian conventions into the Kathmandu Valley, where Newar artists adapted them within their own bronze-casting tradition. This exchange helps explain the combination of eastern Indian influence and distinctly Newar features found in works of this period.
