''Icon of Mani'' (; Icon of Mani) is a

silk painting Silk painting refers to paintings on silk. They are a traditional way of painting in Asia. Methods vary, but using traditional supplies of 100% silk fabric, stretched in a frame, and applying textile paints or dyes are the beginnings of the proce ...

hanging scroll A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit East Asian painting and calligraphy. They are different from handscrolls, which are narrower and designed to be viewed flat on a table. Hanging scrolls are generally i ...

from the Yuan or

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

period, from the coastal area of southern China, depicting Mani. The portrait of the founder

Mani Mani may refer to: People * Mani (name), (), a given name and surname (including a list of people with the name) ** Mani (prophet) (c. 216–274), a 3rd century Iranian prophet who founded Manichaeism ** Mani (musician) (born 1962), an English ...

has been completely

Sinicized Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies or groups are acculturated or assimilated into Chinese culture, particularly the language, ...

Discovery process

The black and white photo of this painting was originally published in the 1937 Japanese Oriental Art Periodical "Guo Hua", but did not give the location of the collection and other relevant information. According to the research of Hungarian Asian religious art historian

Zsuzsanna Gulácsi Zsuzsanna Gulácsi (born on 10 April 1966) is a Hungarian-born American historian, art historian of pan-Asiatic religions. She is a professor of art history, Asian studies, and comparative religious studies at Northern Arizona University (NAU) ...

, the painting has similar features to the Mani statue depicted in the "

Sermon on Mani's Teaching of Salvation ''Sermon on Mani's Teaching of Salvation'' ( zh, t=冥王聖幀, l=Sacred Scroll of the King of the Underworld) is a Yuan dynasty silk painting, silk hanging scroll, measuring 142 × 59 centimetres and dating from the 13th century, with didactic ...

". It should be an icon used by Manichae in southern China for religious worship. Originally it was not possible to verify the source, so it is generally believed that it was lost during World War II. However, the documentary linguistics professor Yoshida of Kyoto University discovered the original work of "Icon of Mani" at the Fujita Museum of Art in Osaka, Japan in 2019. Later, the painting was exhibited at the "National Treasure No. Fujita Museum Exhibition" at the Nara National Museum. "On public display.

Gallery

File:Icon of Mani 2.jpg, Details of the main image of the original painting File:Icon of Mani.jpg, Black and white photos published on "Guo Hua" File:Icon of Mani (Detail 1).jpg, Details of the main image: the jewel ring worn on the chest, the black square pattern on the white robe File:Icon of Mani (Detail 2).jpg, Lianhuatai details: the performance of the mani Lotte, it can be seen that his costume also has the style of

Western Regions The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; ) was a historical name specified in Ancient Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD that referred to the regions west of the Yumen Pass, most often the Tarim Basin in prese ...

; Comparison with the "Buddha of Light" statue The comparison chart made by

compares the details of the painting with the Mani statue in "Icon of Mani" and the "Buddha of Light" statue of Mani in

Cao'an Cao'an () is a temple in Jinjiang, Fujian, . Originally constructed by Chinese Manichaeism, Chinese Manichaeans, it was considered by later worshipers to be a Buddhist temple. This "Manichaean temple in Buddhist disguise" had historically been se ...

in Quanzhou. File:Comparison - Icon of Mani 1.jpg File:Comparison - Icon of Mani 2.jpg File:Comparison - Icon of Mani 3.jpg File:Comparison - Icon of Mani 4.jpg

Excursus

Collection of Chinese Manichaean Hanging Scrolls

Eight silk hanging scrolls with Manichaean didactic images from southern China from between the 12th and the 15th centuries, which can be divided into four categories: ; Two single portraits (depicting Mani and Jesus) * Icon of Mani * ''

Manichaean Painting of the Buddha Jesus The ''Manichaean Painting of the Buddha Jesus'' ( zh, t=夷數佛幀, w=I2-shu4 fo2-chên1, p=Yí shù fó zhēn; ), is a Chinese Southern Song dynasty silk painting, silk hanging scroll preserved at the Seiunji Temple in Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japa ...

'' ; One scroll depicting Salvation Theory () * ''

'' ; Four scrolls depicting Prophetology () * Mani's Parents * Birth of Mani *

Episodes from Mani's Missionary Work Episodes may refer to: * Episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. ...

* Mani's Community Established ; One scroll depicting

Cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

() *

Manichaean Diagram of the Universe The ''Manichaean Diagram of the Universe'' ( zh, t=摩尼教宇宙圖; ) is a Yuan dynasty silk painting describing the cosmology of Manichaeism, in other words, the structure of universe according to Manichaean vision. The painting in vivid colo ...

References

{{Manichaeism footer Chinese Manichaean art Yuan dynasty art Ming dynasty painting Chinese artifacts held abroad