Book cover, wood

Museum number:
9-22078
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21090022078
Alternate number:
BY.T-189 and T-189 (original number)
Description:
This is a wooden book cover for a Buddhist text. There are five figures carved into wood, surrounded by a border and a floral sky. Left to right they are: Amoghasiddha (North) Amitabha (West) Vairocana (Center) the principle figure Vajrasattva (East) Ratnasambhava (South)The identification of these five is fairly certain, but lack or loss of detail in the carving introduces some doubt. These five Buddhas are often pictured without crowns. In this scene, they all have crowns. Here we have Vajrasattva rather than the more typical Akshobhya in the East. Vajrasattva and Akshobhya are closely identified and are, in some limited contexts, interchangeable.Compare to T-155 (See also T-121. T-156, T-157, etc.)
Collection place:
Tibet
Verbatim coll. place:
Tibet
Collector:
Theos C. Bernard
Materials:
Pigment and Wood (plant material)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Carvings (visual works)
Function:
7.0 Use not specified (Communication, Records, Currency, and Measures)
Production date:
19th-20th century
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Book cover, wood, accession number 9-22078, described as This is a wooden book cover for a Buddhist text. There are five figures carved into wood, surrounded by a border and a floral sky. Left to right they are: Amoghasiddha (North) Amitabha (West) Vairocana (Center) the principle figure Vajrasattva (East) Ratnasambhava (South)The identification of these five is fairly certain, but lack or loss of detail in the carving introduces some doubt. These five Buddhas are often pictured without crowns. In this scene, they all have crowns. Here we have Vajrasattva rather than the more typical Akshobhya in the East. Vajrasattva and Akshobhya are closely identified and are, in some limited contexts, interchangeable.Compare to T-155 (See also T-121. T-156, T-157, etc.)Hearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Book cover, wood, accession number 9-22078, described as This is a wooden book cover for a Buddhist text. There are five figures carved into wood, surrounded by a border and a floral sky. Left to right they are: Amoghasiddha (North) Amitabha (West) Vairocana (Center) the principle figure Vajrasattva (East) Ratnasambhava (South)The identification of these five is fairly certain, but lack or loss of detail in the carving introduces some doubt. These five Buddhas are often pictured without crowns. In this scene, they all have crowns. Here we have Vajrasattva rather than the more typical Akshobhya in the East. Vajrasattva and Akshobhya are closely identified and are, in some limited contexts, interchangeable.Compare to T-155 (See also T-121. T-156, T-157, etc.)

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