Sacred Art & Iconography

Leaf from a Manichaean Book (MIK III 4979)

Manichaean and Mandaean Art

An illuminated paper leaf from a Manichaean devotional book, made in the 8th or 9th century in the Turfan oasis of Central Asia and recovered in the early twentieth century by German expeditions excavating the ruined city of Gaochang. Its text is written in the Manichaean script and mixes Sogdian, Turkic and Middle Persian. The front face illustrates a religious ceremony, a senior priest in white robes blessing an armored figure kneeling before him, with attendants and members of the Elect standing by in white, and at the bottom four Hindu deities, Ganesha, Varaha, Brahma and Shiva, shown kneeling in reverence, a striking instance of Manichaeism's habit of absorbing the visual and doctrinal vocabulary of the religions it moved among. The reverse illustrates the Bema festival, the annual Manichaean commemoration of the death of the prophet Mani, with a priest enthroned on a raised platform and worshippers arranged by rank, the Elect in white crowns and the ordinary Hearers in black. The leaf is held today in Berlin's Museum fur Asiatische Kunst as part of the Turfan Collection. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts

Subject Matter

Depicted Subjectthe subject's own account

A Manichaean priest blessing a kneeling armored figure, attended by members of the Elect, with the Hindu deities Ganesha, Varaha, Brahma and Shiva kneeling at the bottom of the scene. 1

Devotional Functionthe subject's own account

A page from a devotional Manichaean book, its two faces illustrating a blessing ceremony and the Bema festival honoring the community's founding prophet. 1

Medium (class)the subject's own account

Illuminated manuscript 1

Origins

Date of Creationthe subject's own account

8th to 9th century CE 1

Custody

Current Locationthe subject's own account

Museum fur Asiatische Kunst, Berlin, accession MIK III 4979 2

Current Custodianthe subject's own account

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum fur Asiatische Kunst 2

Classification

Object Typethe subject's own account

Manuscript Illumination 1

Physical Form

Mediumthe subject's own account

Ink and pigment illumination on paper 1

Dimensionsthe subject's own account

12.4 cm by 25.2 cm 1

Rights and Reproduction

Reproduction and Copyrightthe subject's own account

The leaf itself is over a thousand years old and carries no copyright, but a specific modern photograph of it carries its own separate copyright. This atlas describes and cites the work rather than reproducing an image of it. 2

Connections

Associated With

Central Asia

This source names Central Asia directly: "or 9th century in the Turfan oasis of Central Asia and recovered in the early twentieth century by German expeditions excavating the ruined city of Gaochang."