A Volume of the Manjushri Namasamgiti (Hymn to Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom)
Artist/maker unknown, Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, and Manchurian
Geography:
Made in China, Asia
or Mongolia, Asia
or Tibet, Asia
Period:
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)Date:
18th centuryMedium:
Colors on paper with silkDimensions:
4 1/2 x 28 x 7 3/4 inches (11.4 x 71.1 x 19.7 cm) Cover: 1/2 x 28 x 7 3/4 inches (1.3 x 71.1 x 19.7 cm)Curatorial Department:
Indian and Himalayan ArtObject Location:
1923-21-464Credit Line:
Gift of Charles H. Ludington from the George Crofts Collection, 1923
Made in China, Asia
or Mongolia, Asia
or Tibet, Asia
Period:
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)Date:
18th centuryMedium:
Colors on paper with silkDimensions:
4 1/2 x 28 x 7 3/4 inches (11.4 x 71.1 x 19.7 cm) Cover: 1/2 x 28 x 7 3/4 inches (1.3 x 71.1 x 19.7 cm)Curatorial Department:
Indian and Himalayan ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1923-21-464Credit Line:
Gift of Charles H. Ludington from the George Crofts Collection, 1923
Printing Buddhist books is an expensive but popular method of earning religious merit-the spiritual currency believed to increase one's chances for a better rebirth in the next lifetime. A wealthy, multi-lingual patron commissioned this large looseleaf book, annotated in Tibetan, Chinese, Manchurian, and Mongolian scripts. The red ink, possibly made from cinnabar, costs more than black. Golden yellow silk brocade, a color reserved in China for members of the imperial family, covers the bookends. Printing or donating lavish Buddhist texts like this one is one method for paying for monastic rituals.
