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Leaf from Prajnaparamita Manuscript: Buddha Shakyamuni and Prajnaparamita
This is a leaf from a "Prajnaparamita" (Perfection of Wisdom) manuscript. The text, written in Tibetan language and script, is a translation of a Sanskrit text that was produced in India as much as a thousand years earlier. The translation of hundreds and hundreds of texts into Tibetan was an immense cultural achievement.
On the left appears the Buddha Shakyamuni on the night of his enlightenment at Bodhgaya. The tree under which he was enlightened appears above the temple. The goddess at right is Prajnaparamita, a personification of the text or an embodiment of its words. This is the first leaf. The last leaf includes a statement that this sacred object was commissioned by two children for the use of their parents, following their rebirth on earth.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Ian Alsop, New York and Santa Fe; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, 1998; given to Walters Art Museum, 2001.
Exhibitions
| 2012 | Illuminated: The Art of Sacred Books. Rubin Museum of Art, New York. |
| 2010-2011 | Embodying the Holy: Icons in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism. Rubin Museum of Art, New York. |
| 2006-2007 | Goddess Divine Energy. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. |
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
Tibet (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 9 3/8 x W: 27 1/4 in. (23.81 x 69.22 cm); Framed H: 12 3/4 x W: 33 3/8 x D: 2 1/4 in. (32.39 x 84.77 x 5.72 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2001
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.856.1
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Parent Object
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