Page 9 - Bonhams, Images of Devotion, April 21 2021

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A PALM LEAF MANUSCRIPT WITH PAINTED WOOD COVERS
NEPAL, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY
Ink on palm leaves, with two painted wood covers; total of 156 folios
with text on both sides.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.16985
Folio: 5 x 54.5 cm (2 x 21 1/2 in.)
Cover: 5.5 x 55.2 cm (2 1/8 x 21 3/4 in.)

HKD150,000 - 250,000

尼泊爾 約十二世紀 貝葉經及彩繪木質護經板

In Buddhist contexts, manuscripts are often considered sacred objects in their own
right, which explains the care and attention afforded to the present, centuries-old
example. The scripture is neatly inscribed on 156 thin sheets made of palm leaves,
held between two richly painted wooden covers. One cover depicts Vairocana
flanked by six female deities, while the other features six male deities bordering
a festooned stupa. Framed by a rainbow aureole, each figure wears billowing
celestial scarves. Compare to Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita manuscripts, one
dated 1119, at the Cleveland Museum of Art (1938.301), and the other dated
1015, in the Cambridge University Library. Also compare with a closely related
pair of covers in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.77.19.1a-b).

Provenance
The Nyingjei Lam Collection 菩薩道收藏, acquired in the 1990s

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