Manuushri – The Buddhist God of Wisdom and Knowledge

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Item Code:	XR08
Specifications:	Copper Sculpture Gilded with 24 Karat Gold
Height:	12.5 inch
Width:	9.5 inch
Depth:	5 inch
Weight:	3.21 kg

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This copper sculpture from Nepal represents one of the early forms of Manjushri, the Buddhist god who stands for wisdom and knowledge, more particularly the knowledge of linguistics and grammar. The image of the deity, with its two arms and the book Prajnaparmita, carried over a lotus, pursues initial idiom of Manjushri imagery. One of the would-be Buddhas, Manjushri also symbolised, like other Boddhisattvas Avalokiteshvara, Metreya, Padmapani, etceteras, different stages of soul's attainment of Buddhattva. In early innovations, Manjushri images had normal two arms, and only rarely four, carrying in one of them a 'khadaga', sword, and in the other the book Prajnaparmita. Sometimes the book was carried over a lotus, and the arm other than the one, which carried 'khadaga', had a diamond Ratna-mani or Chintamani, which symbolised truth, as like truth, it neither rusted nor defaced or eroded. With the sword, Manjushri is conceived as eliminating darkness, and with the book, as spreading true knowledge.

Later, when Manjushri emerged as one of the main Tantrika deities, particularly in Tibetan Buddhism widely pursued in the northern regions of Himalayan hills, the anatomical and iconographic perception of the image underwent a radical change. Now the image was multi-armed, the number of arms varying from four to eighteen. 'Khadaga' and the book were still the essentials of Manjushri iconography, but now it also carried many other attributes 'Ratna-mani', 'abhaya', 'varada', 'vajra', 'danda', mace, battle-axe, pot, rosary, noose, flames of fire, and many others. They symbolised his multifarious role, which as the Tantrika deity Manjushri was invoked to accomplish.

This exquisitely executed and exceptionally bejewelled image has been rendered with a broad forehead, as broad face but narrowing down to chin with an angular thrust, and wide open vigilant eyes. The iconography, adornment and costume are characteristically Tibetan.

The deity is seated on a lotus 'pitha'. He is in padmasana. The image is carrying in his right hand the 'khadaga'. Its handle consists of 'vajra', and the point of the blade, of the flames of fire, obviously because fire and 'vajra' are other usual elements of Manjushri iconography. From under the other hand, there rises a lotus stalk with a lotus on its apex. The lotus carries on it the book.

This sculpture was created in city of Patan (Kathmandu, Nepal).

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

How are Nepalese copper statues made?

Nepalese statues and sculptures are best known for their unique small religious figures and ritual paraphernalia for over two thousand years. These are mainly cast in copper alloy. Nepal draws influences from the artistic styles of Buddhism and Hinduism, and therefore the sculptors of the country specialize in making the icons of both these religions. Over the years, Nepalese sculptures evolved into their own distinctive iconography. Some characteristic features of these sculptures that differ from other pieces are exaggerated physical postures, youthful and sensual features, languid eyes, wider faces having serene expressions, and ornate flourishes. The Buddhist deity icons of Nepal have tremendous demand in countries such as China and Tibet for ritual purposes in their temples and monasteries.

Nepalese statues and sculptures have a high copper content and therefore develop a slightly reddish patina on the surface as they age. However, the most unique feature of Nepalese copper statues is their decorative detailing. The pieces are heavily gilded and sometimes inlaid with semi-precious stones. This embellishment protects them from getting tarnished. The traditional lost-wax method for casting Nepalese copper statues remains the most practiced technique in Nepal for many centuries. This process involves many steps and requires skilled artists.

The first step in lost-wax sculpting is to make a wax replica of the desired Buddhist deity to be cast in copper. This replica is created by hand and therefore needs excellent artistic skills otherwise fine features will be lacking.

Once the wax replica is made, it is then coated with a special mixture of clay with a brush. This layer of clay is hardened when left to dry. A small hole is made on the base of the wax mould so that the wax flows away when it is heated.

At this stage, a hollow mould in the shape of the deity is obtained.

This is the time to pour liquid copper into the hollow mould which is then allowed to cool and harden inside a container of cold water. When the liquid metal has hardened, the mould is removed and the statue within is revealed.

The artist works on the details of the statue using various tools. It is then polished to get a shiny and lustrous surface.

Now comes the most important part of Nepalese art which is gold gilding. This is done by the traditional fire gilding method. A mixture of mercury and 18K gold is applied on the surface of the statue and heat is applied using a flame torch. The result is that mercury evaporates along with impurities, leaving a pure 24K gold finish.

The lost-wax method of sculpting is the most preferred technique

for artists to cast a metallic statue having intricate details. Since Nepalese copper sculptures require extraneous effort for giving a majestic look by adding special embellishments, it takes several weeks to complete one masterpiece. A 24K gold gilded copper sculpture retains its brilliant luster for many years and appears as like before. Nepalese sculptures continue to remain one of the finest specimens of the art of the East that have a strong aesthetic appeal that other sculptures cannot match.