The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 24, 2023

Bodhisattva Manjushri: Lord of Wisdom

1000s-1100s

East India, Bengal

Bronze with gilding and inlay of semiprecious stones

Overall: 31.2 cm (12 5/16 in.); Part 1: 6.5 x 15.5 x 11.9 cm (2 9/16 x 6 1/8 x 4 11/16 in.); Part 2: 41.9 x 15.2 cm (16 1/2 x 6 in.); Part 3: 16.5 x 8.5 cm (6 1/2 x 3 3/8 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1960.285

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

His hand gestures show that he teaches the wisdom that leads to enlightenment.

Description

The Bodhisattva of Wisdom can be identified by the lion mount, the horizontal palm-leaf manuscript on the lotus above his left shoulder, and the stupa above his head. His seat and footrests are lotus flowers, indicating transcendence of the ordinary world.

Provenance
?-1960
(William H. Wolff [1906-1991], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1960-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
“Annual Report for 1960.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 48, no. 6, 1961, pp. 107–147. Mentioned: p. 122 www.jstor.org
Master Bronzes of India: The Art Institute of Chicago ... [et al]. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1965. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 10
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 232 archive.org
Marcus, Margaret F. “Sculptures from Bihar and Bengal.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 54, no. 8, 1967, pp. 240–262. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 250, fig. 9 www.jstor.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 232 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 295 archive.org
Exhibition history

Year in Review (1961). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 1-26, 1961).

Master Bronzes of India. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (September 3-October 10, 1965); William Rockhill Nelson Gallery, Kansas City, MO (October 21-December 19, 1965); The Cleveland Museum of Art (January 19-February 27, 1966); The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (October 12-December 11, 1966).

Indian Buddhist Sculpture. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY (organizer) (February 27-March 21, 1968).

Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1960.285