The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 13, 2026

A horizontally oriented gum tempera and ink painting on palm leaf features dense rows of black script. Centered within a red rectangular frame, Sudhana, a figure with light skin, sits cross-legged on a patterned white cushion. He is positioned left of a slender tree with a green canopy where a tiny parrot perches. Two circular binding holes puncture the surface, flanking the central illustration against a weathered, elongated background of ancient, horizontal text.

Sudhana and a parrot, folio 20 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array)

1000–1100s

Nepal

gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
Average: 4.2 x 52.4 cm (1 5/8 x 20 5/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1955.49.1.a
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The parrot is actually an Indian ring-necked parakeet, with red beak and long tail.

Description

On his quest to find teachers to guide him to enlightenment, the pilgrim Sudhana traveled alone through the wilderness. The tree and parrot indicate the forests of southern India. Graceful lines and vibrant color contribute to the enduring visual appeal of the paintings of this manuscript. In a stylistic convention of the time, the artist extended the "farther eye" beyond the contours of the face.
  • ?-1955
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1955-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned: cat. no. 752 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=Sudhana and a parrot, folio 20 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array)|url=false|author=|year=1000–1100s|access-date=13 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1955.49.1.a