Manjuvara with consort (yab-yum)
Unknown Artist
c. 1100s
Medium
Kaolin
Dimensions
7.3 × 4.7 × 2.5 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edwin R. and Harriet Pelton Perkins Memorial Fund
Accession Number
1987.44
About this artwork
This miniature stele shows Manjuvara, a form of the the Bodhisattva of Wisdom Manjushri, in union (yab yum) with his consort (sakti). The intimacy between the deities, in accordance with Vajrayana Buddhism, is symbolic of the union between wisdom and compassion that leads to the bliss of enlightenment. Both figures have three heads and six arms holding their attributes: a sword (khadga), a bow (dhanus), an arrow (bana), and a lotus (padma). The sculpture is made in kaolinite, a clay-based stone ...