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.
Facts
Subject Matter
Depicted SubjectSourced to the subject's own accountA 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 FunctionSourced to the subject's own accountA page from a devotional Manichaean book, its two faces illustrating a blessing ceremony and the Bema festival honoring the community's founding prophet. 1 Origins
Date of CreationSourced to the subject's own account Custody
Current LocationSourced to the subject's own accountMuseum fur Asiatische Kunst, Berlin, accession MIK III 4979 2 Current CustodianSourced to the subject's own accountStaatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum fur Asiatische Kunst 2 Physical Form
MediumSourced to the subject's own accountInk and pigment illumination on paper 1 DimensionsSourced to the subject's own account Rights and Reproduction
Reproduction and CopyrightSourced to the subject's own accountThe 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 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
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."
This source names Middle Persian directly: "script and mixes Sogdian, Turkic and Middle Persian."
This source names Sogdian directly: "Its text is written in the Manichaean script and mixes Sogdian, Turkic and Middle Persian."
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