Manjusri Bodhisattva

NEPAL

The statue’s head is small compared to the rest of the body, while the hands are large. The topknot is mounded, with curled braids falling from the side of the head to the shoulders. The upper body is adorned with a few pieces of jewelry and a sacred thread. The lower garment is short and overlaps one leg as the figure sits in the relaxation posture with that leg overhanging a cushion incised with floral patterns. The left hand is in the vitarka (teaching) mudra, with a jewel held between the thumb and forefinger, while the stem of a lotus runs up the arm to bloom near the shoulder. The right hand is held over the knee and holds a jewel secured by the thumb near the wrist.