Sudhana and a parrot, folio 20 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array), 1000–1100s
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Window mode follows your eyes with your camera, in this browser only: no picture or position leaves your device.

Sudhana and a parrot, folio 20 (recto) from a Gandavyuha-sutra (Scripture of the Supreme Array)

1000–1100s

Medium
gum tempera and ink on palm leaf
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
Average: 4.2 x 52.4 cm (1 5/8 x 20 5/8 in.)
Culture
Nepal
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Rights
Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

View at the Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

On his quest to find teachers to guide him to enlightenment, the pilgrim Sudhana traveled alone through the wilderness. The tree and parrot indicate the forests of southern India. Graceful lines and vibrant color contribute to the enduring visual appeal of the paintings of this manuscript. In a stylistic convention of the time, the artist extended the "farther eye" beyond the contours of the face.