Manuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective Deity

Manuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective Deity

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This upper manuscript cover is decorated with four female Buddhist deities, probably wisdom goddesses (vidyadevis), and one eight-armed protective deity; each is in a red aureole. The figures are interspersed with fans (chauri; above) and ritual utensils (below). The gilt-copper cover features a lotus, a foliate design, and a pearl border.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective DeityManuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective DeityManuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective DeityManuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective DeityManuscript Cover with Four Vidyadevis Accompanied by a Protective Deity

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.