Books of Wisdom Rare and Complete Tibetan Buddhist Manuscripts from the McCarthy Collection 1
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The McCarthy Collection Robert McCarthy established the McCarthy Collection a rich assemblage with a strong focus on Western medieval art over the past twenty years. While his interest in these works was initially sparked by a trip to Europe in the early 1970s, his collecting has since spanned centuries of medieval art from around the world, including sculptures, illuminated manuscripts and paintings. In 2015, the McCarthy Collection exhibited and published a selection of Gothic and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts and sculptures in Illustrious Illuminations: Christian Manuscripts from the High Gothic to the High Renaissance (1250 1540) at the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) of the University of Hong Kong. The presentation offered a rare opportunity for local audiences to view medieval art from Western Europe. Rossi & Rossi is now pleased to present the Tibetan part of the McCarthy Collection, all of which was acquired in London in the mid-2000s. Amongst the works are eleven Buddhist manuscripts, nine of which are published herein. As most of them are complete, this is a unique chance to view medieval manuscripts in their original form. The volumes in the McCarthy Collection show an astonishing range of calligraphic styles, designs and motifs, which is reflective of the numerous influences on Tibetan art from this period. The collection features thirteenth-century examples of manuscripts in gold brush on blue-black paper, a technique attributed to Newar artists. Later post-fifteenth-century manuscripts display elements of Chinese influence in both style and medium. Allusions to the Indian origin of their format can be found throughout: decorative, painted circles in the middle of the pages reference the pothi technique, in which unbound palm-leaf pages were held together by a string piercing them. The importance of the written tradition to Tibetan Buddhism cannot be overstated. Though Buddhism was introduced to Tibet from India in the seventh century, a period of persecution followed. Thus, it wasn t until the eleventh century that the religion was firmly established in the region. During this period, Indian scholars, teachers and monks journeyed across the Himalayas, bringing with them the primary vehicle for the transmission of faith: texts handwritten and often illustrated in which the doctrine of Buddhism was committed to written form. By the twelfth century, the Buddhist canon, known in Sanskrit as the Tripitaka (the Three Baskets, referring to the rules of monastic conduct, the Buddha s teachings and commentaries), had been translated into Tibetan. The Tibetan Buddhist canon was first assembled in the thirteenth century; it was later revised in the fourteenth century by Buton Rinchen Drup. From the eleventh to the fourteenth century, hundreds of Buddhist monasteries were founded, each ideally requiring its own library. After the fifteenth century, all of Tibet s monasteries aspired to have a complete set of the 4,569 texts that form the entire Tripitaka, alongside many extra-canonical texts used by monks and scholars. Before the Chinese invasion of Tibet, there were said to have been between 3,000 and 5,000 monasteries in Tibet. More than 90 percent have since been partially or entirely destroyed. The sacred content of their libraries met a similar fate. While individual folios were sometimes preserved, it is now incredibly rare to find complete manuscripts, such as those in the McCarthy Collection, with all folios intact. 4 1
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) 314 folios of blue-black paper; dbu can script written in gold brush Tibet 13th 14th century 24 x 71 x 15 cm (9 ½ x 28 x 6 in) A canonical Buddhist sutra, The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) is also the central text of the Mahayana Prajnaparamita school. The sutra recounts a debate at Rajagriha on Vulture Peak, where 1,250 Buddhist monks gathered to hear the Buddha speak. The other main speakers were the Buddha s disciples Subhuti, who presented the Prajnaparamita principles, and Sariputra, who put forth the conservative views of those monks who were unable to follow these new developments. The Perfection of Wisdom sutra exists in a range of short and long recensions, of which the eight-thousandline version is regarded as the main source. The Sanskrit text was expanded into versions comprised of 10,000, 18,000, 25,000 and 100,000 lines, for the advanced adepts who could appreciate detailed commentary. There were also abbreviated versions, in 25, 150, 300, 500, 700 and 2,500 lines, for those less knowledgeable. The first Tibetan translation was undertaken around 850 CE, and the second in 1020. By this time, the text had achieved its canonical form. Further comparisons with the original Sanskrit and with additional Sanskrit manuscripts led to revisions of the Tibetan translation in 1030, 1075 and 1500. The Tibetan translation achieves a high level of understanding and accuracy, and has been useful to modern scholars occupied with establishing and analysing the Sanskrit text. This manuscript is made up of multilayered paper stained in blue and varnished on the writing space, surrounded by a frame. The writing is a superb example of Tibetan-headed uchen (dbus can) calligraphy, which is written using gold ink. Some pages contain very old marginal patches over tears resulting from frequent turning. While there is no colophon in this manuscript, it was almost certainly donated or sponsored by a layperson who had hoped to win merit by financing the copying of the text. This manuscript is a superb example of uchen calligraphy, which was produced during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The text shows a few archaistic orthographic characteristics, such as the presence of the da-drag (the letter da as a secondary suffix for some syllables), suggesting an early date, probably thirteenth or fourteenth century. Although the manuscript is not illustrated, it displays some of the best uchen calligraphy produced in Tibet. The gold letters are pleasingly spaced and very exactly executed on the lustrous blue ground. 2 3
Sutra of the Auspicious Aeon (Bhadrakalpikasutra), two volumes Nearly 600 folios of blue-black mulberry paper burnished with rice powder; script written in gold brush; first volume: 6 large and 578 small illuminations; second volume: 4 large and more than 580 small illustrations Western Tibet Early 14th century First volume: 25.5 x 69 x 14.5 cm (10 x 27 ¼ x 5 ¾ in); second volume: 23 x 65 x 16 cm (9 x 25 ½ x 6 ¼ in) The Sutra of the Auspicious Aeon (Bhadrakalpikasutra) is a Mahayana sutra written between about 200 and 250 CE. The sutra recounts the names of the Buddhas to appear in the Auspicious Aeon, the present age, which is considered blessed due to the proliferation of Buddhist teachings. Iconographically, the sutra is an important text, as it provides a long description of the Buddhas with all of their attributes, as well as the circumstances of their birth, their special qualities, their disciples, their life spans, the duration of their teachings and the relics they will leave. This two-volume manuscript is extremely rare because it is illustrated throughout. In addition to large depictions of Buddhas and bodhisattvas at the beginning of each volume, every page of the manuscript is decorated with miniatures showing the different Buddhas described in the sutra, along with illustrations of Tibetan-style stupas. As in the case of most Tibetan manuscripts of the highest quality, the mulberry paper was dyed black and the text area burnished with rice powder. The size and quality of manuscripts such as this example attest to the status of books in Tibetan culture as objects of great sacred and material value. The painting style of the Buddhist deities particularly, the treatment of the lotus-based thrones and surrounding aureola, jewellery and crowns, as well as the representation of the central and secondary figures suggests that this manuscript was produced in Western Tibet in the early fourteenth century. An inscription below the monumental gold letters on the title page describes the beauty of the manuscript, comparing the colour of the paper to the blue of the sky, the paintings to the colours of the rainbow and the writing to the gold and silver hues of the sun and the moon. The verse also mentions the sponsors who paid for the production of the manuscript. 4 5
Sutra of Golden Light (Suvarnaprabhasottama Sutra) 192 folios of raw paper; script written in black brush; 4 illuminations Tibet, possibly Dolpo region 14th 15th century 20.5 x 62.5 x 10 cm (8 x 24 ½ x 4 in) The Sutra of Golden Light (Suvarnaprabhasottama Sutra) was translated into Tibetan from Chinese in the ninth century CE by the famous translator, Go Chödrup. The sutra derives its name from an event that occurs in the third chapter: the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu has a dream in which a great drum radiates a sublime golden light. The light symbolises the dharma, or teachings, of the Buddha. This sutra s main message is that the Four Guardian Gods will protect the ruler who properly governs his country. This is an unusual copy of The Sutra of Golden Light whereas the first page normally contains the work s Sanskrit title, we instead find the Chinese title: jin guang ming jing 金光明經. The sutra itself has had a great influence on East Asia; this might account for the Chinese title. The opening and closing pages of the book are beautifully illustrated with images of the Buddha Shakyamuni, four-armed Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig), Padmapani and Green Tara. The colophons below each illustration, however, are reversed, so that the caption on the left image refers to the image on the right, and vice versa. The wooden covers have fine, vine-shaped decorations along the edges. 6 7
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) 360 folios of white paper with faint red borders; script written in black brush; 4 illuminations Tibet, possibly Dolpo region 15th century 23 x 68 x 12.5 cm (9 x 26 ¾ x 5 in) This manuscript, The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra), is in very good condition written in black and red on fine, cream-coloured paper. The first leaf is illustrated with an image of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni seated on a stylised lion throne, which is flanked by his monk disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, along with Amitabha, who is also seated on a lion throne, flanked by bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani. The last leaf is illustrated with an image of four-armed Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) holding a rosary and a lotus. In the colophon below, he is described as the tantric deity Mahakarunika, the great compassionate one. Also illustrated is Green Tara, who represents the enlightened activity of Avalokiteshvara. The first leaf is reinforced with six additional leaves for strength, and contains the manuscript s library tag on silk cloth, which would have identified the text in the manuscript s original setting: a monastic library. The manuscript closes with a long colophon explaining how the sutra was originally translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan in the eighth century, and later revised in the eleventh century. 8 9
Sutra of the Auspicious Aeon (Bhadrakalpikasutra) 257 folios of blue-black paper; script written in alternating gold and silver brush; 6 large and 502 small illuminations Central Tibet Ca. 1450 21 x 67.5 x 14 cm (8 ¼ x 5 ½ x 5 ½ in) This beautiful manuscript, the Sutra of the Auspicious Aeon (Bhadrakalpikasutra), is unusual for the density of its illustrations. In addition to six large illuminations on the first three folios illustrating the Buddhas of the past, present and future, there are smaller illustrations throughout the manuscript, totalling more than 500. Stylistically, the illuminations which show clear influences of the Newar art of Nepal while using the denser and darker colours typical of Central Tibetan paintings link the manuscript to Central Tibet. The knotting style used to tie the robes of the Buddha, however, is a Chinese element that is not seen in Central Tibetan illustrated sutras until after 1410 CE. The sutra is written in beautiful calligraphy, in alternating lines of silver and gold. The title page is written in monumental gold lettering, below which is inscribed the entire Tibetan alphabet on one line, along with mantras or spells on the following line another unusual feature of this manuscript. The two wooden book covers are older than the rest of the manuscript, and the geometrical pattern used to decorate them dates to the thirteenth century. 10 11
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) 345 folios of blue-black paper; script written in silver brush; 24 illuminations Central Tibet Late 15th century 23 x 70 x 16.5 cm (9 x 27 ½ x 6 ½ in) This circa 1500 copy of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) is heavily illustrated with twenty-four illuminations. The title page of the manuscript is decorated with images of the goddess Prajnaparamita and the Buddha Shakyamuni, both seated on lion thrones and flanked by their attendants. A layer of orange Chinese silk and a layer of yellow Indian silk protect this page. The style of the depictions shows a strong influence of the Newar style of Nepal, though the images also exhibit some Chinese elements, such as the volumetric treatment of the robes. The synthesis of the earlier Nepalese and Pala styles with currents from China at the beginning of the fifteenth century paved the way for the emergence of later schools of Tibetan painting. This manuscript stands as an early example of this hybrid Indo-Nepalese and Chinese style. The wooden manuscript covers are decorated in a thirteenth-century style, coloured with black and red lacquerwork, and carved with images of the Eight Auspicious Symbols. 12 13
Sutra of the Auspicious Aeon (Bhadrakalpikasutra), two volumes More than 450 folios of blue-black paper; script written in alternating gold and silver brush; first volume: 6 large and 470 small illuminations; second volume: 5 large and 440 small paintings Central Tibet Late 15th early 16th century First volume: 23.5 x 64 x 11 cm (9 ¼ x 25 ¼ x 4 ¼ in); second volume: 23.5 x 64.5 x 7.5 cm (9 ¼ x 25 ½ x 3 in) This exceptional two-volume manuscript of the Sutra of the Auspicious Aeon (Bhadrakalpikasutra) is lavishly illustrated: most pages are emblazoned on the verso with small Buddha images, stupas, mahasiddhas or dharmapalas. An inscription below the monumental gold letters on the title page describes the beauty of the manuscript, comparing the colour of the paper to the blue of the sky, the paintings to the colours of the rainbow and the writing to the gold and silver hues of the sun and the moon. The inscription concludes with the signature of the scribe, the little scholar Khabten Chöpel. Large illustrations at the beginning of the second volume depict Sakya Pandita, the founding father of the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, along with Chögyal Pakpa, his nephew and ruler of Tibet alongside Kublai Khan in the thirteenth century. Thus, the manuscript must have been commissioned by a patron of the Sakya school. A dedication on the final leaf of the second volume, illustrated with a border containing twenty-six different Buddhas, wishes the patrons a long life without illness. Allusions to the Indian origin of this manuscript format can be seen in the two red circles marked on each page, which reference the place in an Indian pothi manuscript where the pages would have been pierced and strung together. The pothi format may have been used to give the manuscript a more prestigious appearance by appealing to those familiar with the traditional South Asian format. 14 15
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) 406 folios of raw paper; script written in black brush; 4 illuminations Tibet Ca. 15th century 22 x 74 x 13.5 cm (8 ½ x 29 ¼ x 5 ¼ in) This complete copy of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) is held between two wooden book covers that are painted with a geometric design. A pair of miniatures flanks the title page, and an inscription identifies each figure: homage to the supreme teacher (Buddha Shakyamuni, or the present Buddha) on the left, and homage to the venerable Maitreya (the Buddha of the future) on the right. The right side of the closing page bears the images of Manjushri, the patron deity of wisdom, and Prajnaparamita, the great mother. In the lower register, the red Buddha Amitabha is seated in meditation on a lotus platform that stretches to seat two groups of devotees to the right. The first group consists of deities of the Five Enlightened Families identified by their colours as belonging to the Tathagata, Vajra, Padma, Karma and Ratna families riding on a chariot in the form of a wheeled horse. These five families represent the transmutation of the five poisons (ignorance, hatred, desire, jealousy and pride, respectively) into the five wisdoms (all-pervading, mirrorlike, discriminating, all-accomplishing and equanimous). The second group of devotees consists of a king and queen seated on sumptuous cushions. 16 17
The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra) 353 folios of white composite paper with red ruled lines; script written in black and red brush; 2 large illuminations Tibet Ca. 1500 21 x 64.5 x 13.5 cm (8 ¼ x 25 ¼ x 5 ¼ in) This is a complete copy, in excellent condition, of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra). The pages are held between lacquered wooden book covers; on the front cover is a carved Sanskrit inscription in the sacred Ranjana script, as well as a depiction of the Buddha and eight stupas (on the top-left side). The title page of this manuscript is flanked by elegant miniature paintings of the Buddha Shakyamuni seated in padmasana, or the lotus pose, on a simple lotus throne; his left hand rests on his lap in dhyana mudra, the gesture of meditation, his right hand points downwards in bhumisparsha mudra, calling the earth to witness his enlightenment. Also depicted is Prajnaparamita, the goddess of the perfection of wisdom; golden in colour, the deity has four arms with which she demonstrates immutability (with the vajra, or thunderbolt, in her upper-right hand), wisdom (with the book of knowledge in her upper-left hand), fearlessness (with the lower-right hand held in front of her chest in abhaya mudra to repel evil forces) and meditative stability (with her lower-left hand resting on her lap in dhyana mudra). 18 19
About Rossi & Rossi Rossi & Rossi was founded in London in 1985 by Anna Maria Rossi, who has been active in the field of Asian art for some forty years. In 1988, she was joined by her son, Fabio, who had studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Together, they have established a reputation as leading dealers in traditional Indian and Himalayan art, early Chinese and Central Asian textiles and works of art, and contemporary Asian art. Books of Wisdom: Rare and Complete Tibetan Buddhist Manuscripts from the McCarthy Collection Their deep interest in both the art and culture of the past and the vibrant and innovative works being created by Asian artists today is reflected in their international reputation for handling only the finest works. Amongst their clients are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Rubin Museum of Art, New York; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; the Louvre Abu Dhabi; the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; the Tokyo National Museum; and the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore, as well as distinguished private collectors. Rossi & Rossi has produced dozens of important scholarly publications. The gallery also regularly stages specialist exhibitions in London at its premises in Georgian House, St. James s Square, and, since 2013, in Hong Kong at its space in the South Island Cultural District. 25 November 2017 27 January 2018 rossirossi.com info@rossirossi.com Yally Industrial Building, 3C 6 Yip Fat Street Wong Chuk Hang Hong Kong +852 3575 9417 Editor: Eti Bonn-Muller globaleditorialservices.com Design Alander Wong Daily Good Studio Front and back cover: A folio from the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra), pg 2 3 Inside covers: Details from the first folio of the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses (Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra), pg 12 13 The object descriptions in this publication are based on research published by Sam Fogg in the brochure titled Tibetan Manuscripts, which accompanied an eponymous exhibition on view at the gallery from 29 October to 20 November 2009. Rossi & Rossi Ltd. 2017 Text copyright Rossi & Rossi. Unless indicated otherwise, all images courtesy Rossi & Rossi. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any storage or retrieval system, without prior permission from the copyright holders and publishers. 20 21
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