五髻文殊菩薩像|The Bodhisattva Monju (Manjushri) with Five Topknots
Unknown Artist
13th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Image: 36 3/4 × 20 3/4 in. (93.3 × 52.7 cm) Overall with mounting: 79 3/4 × 29 1/2 in. (202.6 × 74.9 cm) Overall with knobs: 31 1/2 in. (80 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Kamakura period (1185–1333)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
29.100.466
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hanging scroll depicts the Bodhisattva Manjushri (Monju in Japanese), revered in Buddhism as the embodiment of transcendent wisdom. Here, he is portrayed in his rare "Five Topknots" form五髻文殊菩薩—adorned with five chignons crowning his head, a distinctive iconographic feature symbolizing profound enlightenment and esoteric knowledge. Created by an unknown artist in 13th-century Japan during the Kamakura (1185–1333), the work measures 36 3/4 × 20 3/4 inches in its image area, rendered in delicate ink and color on silk, a medium prized for its luminous quality and suitability for rit...