The Bhadrakalpika Sutra c. 1500

painting, paper, ink

medieval

narrative-art

painting

pattern

book

detailed texture

asian-art

paper

ink

geometric

miniature

This 16th-century Tibetan scroll, "The Bhadrakalpika Sutra," is an example of a Buddhist religious text. It features intricate and colorful depictions of deities and Buddhist symbols within a decorative framework. The artwork is primarily focused on the text, which is written in Tibetan script, likely containing a specific sutra or Buddhist teachings. Such scrolls were used for religious study and practice, serving as a visual aid for reciting and meditating on the text. The scroll's worn and aged appearance speaks to its long history and use in religious rituals.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This sacred text, or sutra (literally translated as “thread”), consists of 297 rectangular, double-sided indigo-dyed pages, embellished with silver and gold script, and interspersed with over 600 miniature paintings. Such elaborate manuscripts were more worshipped as the embodiment of wisdom than actually read. It would have been wrapped in a silk cloth, protected by wooden book covers, and likely stored in the library, along with other offerings, at the Tsurpu Monastery in Tibet. This lavish commission is attributed to the time of Lama (teacher) Chodrak Gyatso (c. 1450–1506) of the Kagyupa order of Tibetan Buddhism. Founded in the 1100s, the Kagyupa order was one of four primary political and spiritual schools ruling Tibet. The manuscript lists the “1002 Buddhas of Our Fortunate Era,” including some of those of the Kagyupa order.