Seated
in a diamond position, this sculpture of Manjushri is
full of radiance. The face of Manjushri is painted in
cold gold, the painted urna is a perfect circle in an
amazing single hairline brush stroke. The uppermost
gilt hair knot representing vajrasattva, with hair that
flows to both sides of the Bodhisattvas' shoulders finely
incised and painted in dark blue; on which he is wearing
a five pronged crown framing the youthful face of the
Bodhisattva of Wisdom. He is steadily gaze downward,
with a serene smiling expression. In his extended right
hand, he is holding the double edged sword that symbolize
elimination of ignorance; his left is gently holding
the stem of a lotus that winds over his shoulder, where
the Book of Divine Wisdom (Prajnaparamita Sutra) rests
in the lotus blossom. Along with two falling sashes
fluttering on either sides, the elongated body of Manjushri
sways slightly away from the center, in which a sense
of motion is created in the motionless...like an endless
ripple in still water.
Although
the Manjushri Bodhisattva statue is a prototype in accordance
with centuries old Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the
crisp sharp features of this statue are an excellent
example of the superb 19th century Tibetan sculptural
technique. The artist demonstrated his technical proficiency
with richly gilded gold and copper on a well casted
smooth surface, and hand forged every finer detail with
the sure hand of a master. His was the ability to refine
and combine elements into an immaculate finish; thus
we readily recognized its exquisite artistry as Tibetan
art.
