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Manuscript Cover with Prajnaparamita Flanked by Ten Buddhas

late 12th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The goddess Prajnaparamita, who personifies the Prajnaparamita Sutra, is seated at center. In her upper left hand she holds this text, the totality of Mahayana doctrine. The Buddhas of the ten directions—cardinal, ordinal, zenith, and nadir—are arranged symmetrically on either side of the goddess, signifying the universality of these Buddhist teachings. This cover once protected a manuscript made of paper, a Chinese technology that reached Tibet by the end of the first millennium.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Manuscript Cover with Prajnaparamita Flanked by Ten Buddhas
  • Date: late 12th century
  • Culture: Tibet
  • Medium: Wood with gilding and polychrome
  • Dimensions: H. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); W. 27 1/8 in. (68.9 cm); D. 5/8 in. (1.6 cm)
  • Classification: Wood
  • Credit Line: Lent by the Michael J. and Beata McCormick Collection
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art