Artwork
Prajnaparamita flanked by a white female figure and a white bodhisattva, folio 90 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Prajnaparamita flanked by a white female figure and a white bodhisattva, folio 90 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra) is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 14 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The folio presents three seated figures, each enclosed within a circular frame and positioned on a brown horizontal band.
About this work
Overview
The folio presents three seated figures, each enclosed within a circular frame and positioned on a brown horizontal band.
The folio presents three seated figures, each enclosed within a circular frame and positioned on a brown horizontal band. The central figure, distinguished by dark skin and blue hair, raises both hands in a ritual gesture, while the flanking figures are rendered in white, one crowned and the other wearing a decorative headpiece. Red outlines and elaborate ornamental motifs surround each portrait, creating a richly detailed composition.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure represents Prajñāpāramitā, the personification of transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism, signified by the raised hands that convey a teaching or blessing. The two accompanying white figures are likely attendant deities—a female figure and a bodhisattva—who serve to emphasize the central deity’s authority and to frame the sutra’s spiritual narrative.
Technique & Style
Executed in pigment on paper, the image employs bold red contour lines to define the circular borders and the figures themselves. The use of contrasting skin tones—dark for the central deity and pale for the attendants—along with the blue hair of Prajñāpāramitā, creates visual hierarchy. Intricate decorative patterns and interspersed script encircle the figures, reflecting the manuscript’s dual function as a visual and textual vehicle for the Ashtasahasrika Prajñāpāramitā sutra.
History & Provenance
This illustration is taken from a manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines, a key Buddhist text dating to the early medieval period. The folio, numbered 90 (recto), is part of a larger codex that was likely produced in a monastic workshop for devotional or instructional use. The work now resides in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is displayed among other examples of Buddhist manuscript painting.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Prajnaparamita flanked by a white female figure and a white bodhisattva, folio 90 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Three female figures, folio 89 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Three female figures, folio 89 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 144 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 90 (verso), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 45 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 99 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, Folio 100 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 46 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 160 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)
Text, folio 43 (recto), from a Manuscript of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita-sutra)