Manuscript cover for a Kanjur (Tibetan Canon of Buddhist Texts)

Historical period(s)
16th-early 18th century
Medium
Wood with gilt and traces of polychrome pigments
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 24.7 x 64.8 x 4.5 cm (9 3/4 x 25 1/2 x 1 3/4 in)
Geography
Tibet
Credit Line
Gift of Ruth C. Galaid
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2004.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript cover

Keywords
Buddha, Buddhism, Kanjur, Marpa, Milarepa, Naropa, Tibet, Vajradhara
Provenance

From 1963 to 2003
Mrs. Ruth C. Galaid, Fairfax, VA, purchased from an unnamed Tibetan in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1963 [1]

From 2004
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by Mrs. Ruth C. Galaid in 2004

Notes:

[1] Mrs. Galaid purchased the cover in Nepal from a Tibetan in Kathmandu in 1963 when she was working with the Ford Foundation in India (according to Provenance Remark 1, Debra Diamond, August 2004, in the object record).

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Mrs. Ruth C. Galaid

Label

The gold that adorns the cover of this sacred Buddhist text reflects the purity and perfection of the teachings of the Buddha (dharma). Like most Tibetan covers, it is shaped to resemble the long, narrow format of ancient texts from India, where the Buddha lived and taught in the fifth century B.C.E. The cover depicts the enthroned Buddha surrounded by the teachers, lamas, and perfected beings of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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