Period:Northern Song dynasty Production date:980 (dated fifth year of Taiping xingguo 太平興國)
Materials:paper, 紙 (Chinese),
Technique:woodblock, 版畫 (Chinese),
Subjects:bodhisattva 菩薩 (Chinese) lotus
Dimensions:Height: 41.70 centimetres (impression) Width: 30.30 centimetres (impression)
Description:
Woodblock print, ink on paper. This ritual print shows a dharani text or mystic formula written in Sanskrit around the central figure of Mahapratisara Bodhisattva whose eight arms hold different attributes reflecting his protective powers.
IMG
![图片[1]-print; 印刷品(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.249-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Northern Song dynasty/43/mid_00000009_001.jpg)
Comments:The design is reminiscent of a mandala, a symbolic representation of the universe. The text talks of the great benefits to be derived from making a copy of it, which reveals the motivation for multiple printing. The lotus medallions along the borders have been overprinted with Sanskrit ‘seed’ characters, which seem to have been carved on another block of the same size. This would be the earliest known example of taoban, using multiple blocks to create a single image.Published: Stein 1921, vol. II, 1044-5; Whitfield 1982-5, vol. II, fig. 151; Ma 2005, 3, 6, pl. 9; Yu 2005, 22-3; Wang and Zou 2005, 34; Wang 2005, 44
Materials:paper, 紙 (Chinese),
Technique:woodblock, 版畫 (Chinese),
Subjects:bodhisattva 菩薩 (Chinese) lotus
Dimensions:Height: 41.70 centimetres (impression) Width: 30.30 centimetres (impression)
Description:
Woodblock print, ink on paper. This ritual print shows a dharani text or mystic formula written in Sanskrit around the central figure of Mahapratisara Bodhisattva whose eight arms hold different attributes reflecting his protective powers.
IMG
Comments:The design is reminiscent of a mandala, a symbolic representation of the universe. The text talks of the great benefits to be derived from making a copy of it, which reveals the motivation for multiple printing. The lotus medallions along the borders have been overprinted with Sanskrit ‘seed’ characters, which seem to have been carved on another block of the same size. This would be the earliest known example of taoban, using multiple blocks to create a single image.Published: Stein 1921, vol. II, 1044-5; Whitfield 1982-5, vol. II, fig. 151; Ma 2005, 3, 6, pl. 9; Yu 2005, 22-3; Wang and Zou 2005, 34; Wang 2005, 44
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