Artwork Page for Youth as a Stand-in Monju

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Youth as a Stand-in Monju

見立文殊菩薩

c. 1767

Suzuki Harunobu 鈴木春信

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Culture
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)
Medium
color woodblock print
Measurements
Sheet: 29.2 x 21.7 cm (11 1/2 x 8 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Edward L. Whittemore 1930.177
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In this image, a handsome young man replaces the Buddhist figure Monju, a bodhisattva—or enlightened being—often shown riding a lion. Monju symbolizes wisdom and customarily holds a sword and a sacred text atop a lotus flower. The youth here meditates instead on his tobacco kit and a long pipe. The print was once paired with another, showing a young woman replacing Fugen, a bodhisattva who rides an elephant.
A vertically oriented woodblock print depicts a youth with a light skin tone in a gray robe, seated atop a white lion with undulating golden curls of fur. Facing right, the youth holds a thin rod over a black box. Behind a low orange fence, a plant with large green leaves grows against a mottled gray background. Japanese calligraphy is inscribed in black ink at our bottom right. A white sandal rests on the ground.

Youth as a Stand-in Monju

c. 1767

Suzuki Harunobu

(Japanese, 1724–1770)
Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

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