Artwork

Folio 37 from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array): Sudhana and a pair of antelopes (recto); text (verso)

Folio 37 from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array): Sudhana and a pair of antelopes (recto); text (verso) is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1104 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Folio 37 is a two‑panel manuscript leaf from a Gandavyuha‑sutra, a Buddhist text.

About this work

Overview

Folio 37 is a two‑panel manuscript leaf from a Gandavyuha‑sutra, a Buddhist text. The upper panel bears a modest painted scene of a red‑clad figure accompanied by two antelopes, rendered in a flat, linear style. The lower panel is filled with carefully copied script in an unfamiliar script, likely the sutra’s verses.

Subject & Meaning

The painted image depicts Sudhana, the pilgrim youth of the Gandavyuha narrative, meeting a pair of antelopes. In the sutra, Sudhana’s encounters with animals symbolize humility and the guidance offered by all beings on the path to enlightenment.

Technique & Style

The illustration employs ink on wood, with minimal shading and a restrained palette limited to red for the figure’s robe. The antelopes are outlined with simple contours, reflecting a decorative, non‑realistic aesthetic typical of East Asian religious manuscripts of the period.

History & Provenance

The folio originates from a hand‑copied Buddhist scripture, suggesting it was produced in a monastic workshop. It now belongs to the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed as part of their Asian art holdings.

Context

The Gandavyuha‑sutra was widely circulated in East Asia, often illustrated to aid devotional practice. Such manuscript pages combined textual transmission with visual aids, reinforcing the teachings through both reading and viewing.