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| Four Leaves from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Manuscript |
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| India, Bihar or Bengal; about 1151 - 1200 |
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| Ink and opaque watercolor on palm leaf |
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| Each, H. 3 in. (7.6 cm); W. 17 1/4 in. (43.8 cm) |
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| Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art |
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| 1979.053.1-4 |
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| Before the use of paper became widespread in India, manuscripts were usually produced on leaves from a type of palm tree. The pages, originally stacked on top of each other, were strung together with a cord. This manuscript not only has images enhancing the central part of each leaf, but also has decoration at the ends of the leaves and surrounding the string holes. As is generally true in manuscripts of this type, the illustrations do not relate directly to the text, which is primarily a philosophical treatise on the nature of wisdom and compassion. The deities depicted are, from top to bottom, the bodhisattva Manjushri, the goddess Prajnaparamita, the goddess Tara, and a wrathful Dharmapala, literally a "protector of the Buddhist doctrine. |
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