Reciting the Names of Manjushri
Manjushrinamasamgiti
A Volume of the Manjushri Namasamgiti (Hymn to Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom)
Artist/maker unknown, Tibetan
Geography:
Printed in Beijing, China, Asia
Date:
19th centuryMedium:
Colors on paper with silkDimensions:
Text: 3 1/8 × 27 7/8 × 7 3/4 inches (7.9 × 70.8 × 19.7 cm) Cover (Top): 5/8 × 27 7/8 × 7 3/4 inches (1.6 × 70.8 × 19.7 cm) Cover (Bottom): 5/8 × 27 7/8 × 7 3/4 inches (1.6 × 70.8 × 19.7 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
1923-21-464Credit Line:
Gift of Charles H. Ludington from the George Crofts Collection, 1923
Printed in Beijing, China, Asia
Date:
19th centuryMedium:
Colors on paper with silkDimensions:
Text: 3 1/8 × 27 7/8 × 7 3/4 inches (7.9 × 70.8 × 19.7 cm) Cover (Top): 5/8 × 27 7/8 × 7 3/4 inches (1.6 × 70.8 × 19.7 cm) Cover (Bottom): 5/8 × 27 7/8 × 7 3/4 inches (1.6 × 70.8 × 19.7 cm)Curatorial Department:
South Asian ArtObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:1923-21-464Credit Line:
Gift of Charles H. Ludington from the George Crofts Collection, 1923
Label:
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.
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.
