Abstract
Nicolò Manucci (or Manuzzi) (ca. 1638-1720) is a well-known figure among scholars: a Venetian adventurer, artilleryman and doctor in Early Modern India. He was a dynamic man, who frequented for a long time both the Mughal courts and the European agents of the seventeenth and early eighteenth century trade companies, leaving meaningful testimonies of his age, and thus becoming an important (and controversial) historical source on South Asia. In spite of the celebrity gained by his biography and his work, Manucci’s role as European patron of Indian artists has been undervalued so far, with scholars often preferring to define him as a mere collector of works of Indian miniatures. Through an historic and artistic examination of his work, of other coeval works of art and contemporary sources, the aim of this paper is to show that Manucci was actually an important patron of Indian painting, a paradigmatic precursor of figurative didactic works mainly illustrated by (unfortunately anonymous) Indian artists under his guidance, and at the same time mediated by his bias and his culture, following an interesting and original hybrid format that bridges European figurative culture and Indian art.
Highlights
In the field of the study of Indian religions, the analysis of the extraordinary capacities achievable through the practice of meditation is a topic that still needs a thorough examination
The terms iddhi and abhiññā are used in the Pāli canon to designate extraordinary capacities, namely kinds of remarkable abilities and knowledges mostly attained during the path of awakening
It seems that there has already been a established tendency in the Pāli canon to group together iddhis and the other abhiññās, there are examples from some texts later than the four principal nikāyas (Dīgha, Majjhima, Saṃyutta, Aṅguttara-) that demonstrate that the Buddhist tradition has kept iddhis and abhiññās separated as well
Summary
The terms iddhi and abhiññā are used in the Pāli canon to designate extraordinary capacities, namely kinds of remarkable abilities and knowledges mostly attained during the path of awakening. From the point of view of the Dīghanikāya, the integration of iddhis within the group of the other abhiññās almost appears as a later development since only Dasuttarasutta mentions it. It seems that there has already been a established tendency in the Pāli canon to group together iddhis and the other abhiññās, there are examples from some texts later than the four principal nikāyas (Dīgha-, Majjhima-, Saṃyutta-, Aṅguttara-) that demonstrate that the Buddhist tradition has kept iddhis and abhiññās separated as well.. The Author first presented it at the 23rd Joint Postgraduate Conference on Theology and Religion, University of Exeter, 28 April 2018 He is grateful to his doctoral supervisor, Prof. Serie orientale 55, 2019, 227-264 e-ISSN 2385-3042 ISSN 1125-3789
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