Pair of Buddhist Manuscript Covers

Pair of Buddhist Manuscript Covers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Carved deeply into these wooden manuscript covers are three shrine-niches occupied by multiarmed tantric female deities wielding an array of ritual utensils and weapons. They are flanked by kneeling donor figures (above) and by Ganesha and a gana (below). This type of cover would have protected a paper manuscript, presumably one devoted to a Tantric Hindu text.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pair of Buddhist Manuscript CoversPair of Buddhist Manuscript CoversPair of Buddhist Manuscript CoversPair of Buddhist Manuscript CoversPair of Buddhist Manuscript Covers

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.