265 - An almost square painted wooden panel depicting the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Sino-Tibetan art, probably 18th–19th century

An almost square painted wooden panel depicting the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Sino-Tibetan art, probably 18th–19th century Seated in dhyānāsana on a lotus-shaped throne, his right hand raised, holding the flaming sword—a characteristic attribute of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, whose blade symbolizes the ability to cut through ignorance and delusions; with his left hand, he holds the stem of a blooming lotus emerging from his side and bearing the Prajñāpāramitā sutra, another traditional attribute of Mañjuśrī. The figure is set within a large mandorla, against a background animated by stylized clouds, rendered in a polychrome palette. The rendering of the face, clothing, and ornaments draws on the vocabulary of Tibetan Buddhist painting, while certain elements of the decoration reveal an influence from the Chinese decorative repertoire. In the lower section, on either side of the throne, are depicted two peaches—an auspicious motif associated in the Sino-Buddhist tradition with longevity and immortality—and in the center are the Three Sacred Jewels. Above the peach on the viewer’s right, two Chinese characters, 上三, are painted in black; these may correspond to a classification or mounting mark relating to a set of panels. Significant abrasion of the paint layer reveals the wooden support in places and is accompanied by losses, wear, and flaking of the polychrome, evidence of long-term use. The panel, which is relatively thin, likely belonged to a decorative or architectural ensemble. 83 x 84 cm