Manjushri (From Situ's set of Eight Great Bodhisattvas)

This form of the bodhisattva of wisdom Manjushri does not fit typical textual descriptions. Normally an orange Manjushri would be energetically wielding his sword. Instead the artist chose the simple grace of a relaxed pose atop the rippling water of a lotus pond. This imbues the image with a quiet, contemplative feeling.Tibetan paintings are often created in sets, where a single theme is distributed among a number of canvases. This painting belongs to a set presenting the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, a group of Buddhist deities that represent Mahayana teachings. While the theme of this set is standard, these paintings are very unusual. They do not follow textual descriptions or other standard Tibetan visual conventions. We know a great deal about the creation of this set thanks to the detailed diaries of its patron, the great scholar and artist Situ Panchen (1700–1772). In 1732 he engaged the painter Trinle Rabphel of Karsho, a region in Kham Province, eastern Tibet, famous for artists. Situ had him trace an older painting by the great sixteenth-century artist Konchok Phende. These tracings were then painted by a group of artists from Karsho at Situ’s request.