Embroidered silk thangka depicting the bodhisattva Manjusri, Tibet, 20th century He has one face and two hands. In his right hand, he holds aloft the flaming blue sword of wisdom cutting through ignorance. In the left, placed at heart level, he holds the stem of an utpala flower bearing the book Prajnaparamita. Adorned with a golden crown studded with jewels, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, he wears silk clothes, a green scarf and a red skirt. Seated, legs bent in vajrasana, on a flat moon disk and a double-row lotus base, he is surrounded by a mandorla with a radiant interior surrounded by blossoming flowers. Above his head is a representation of Buddha surrounded by various deities from the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. The embroidery is framed by three bands of red, yellow and black ochre silk, embroidered with dragons in flowers in pursuit of the sacred pearl. 169 x 98 cm