Sutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist Treasures

Sutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist Treasures

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This pair of sutra covers was made for an edition of the Tibetan Buddhist canon produced in Beijing at the order of the emperor in 1410. A triple flaming jewel is flanked by four of the Eight Buddhist Treasures. Unlike Chinese texts, which were either in scroll or accordion-fold-book format, Tibetan texts were formatted as stacks of horizontal, loose-leaf sheets that would have fit between these covers.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist TreasuresSutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist TreasuresSutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist TreasuresSutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist TreasuresSutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist Treasures

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.