On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Manuscript Cover with Prajnaparamita Flanked by Ten Buddhas
The goddess Prajnaparamita, who personifies the Prajnaparamita Sutra, is seated at center. In her upper left hand she holds this text, the totality of Mahayana doctrine. The Buddhas of the ten directions—cardinal, ordinal, zenith, and nadir—are arranged symmetrically on either side of the goddess, signifying the universality of these Buddhist teachings. This cover once protected a manuscript made of paper, a Chinese technology that reached Tibet by the end of the first millennium.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
