Buddhist manuscripts of Nepal: the covers of the Prajñāpāramitā
Sacred books offer another way of studying Nepalese Buddhist art through their covers. The twelfth-century cover in the Dalton Somaré archive is made of gilded repoussé copper over a wooden support, measures 67 × 17 centimetres, and presents Prajñāpāramitā at the centre, flanked by White Tara and Green Tara. Its elongated format and sequence of figures link the organisation of the image to the object’s purpose: protecting the manuscript and giving it a covering appropriate to its religious importance.
Palm-leaf manuscripts consist of loose leaves gathered between protective covers. The Metropolitan Museum’s 2008 exhibition on Buddhist manuscript painting documents the relationship between support, reading and image. Painted figures in books and on their covers participated in the devotional culture of the text. The horizontal format therefore reflects a concrete method of preparing, storing and consulting a book, rather than simply a decorative preference.
Prajñāpāramitā personifies the Perfection of Wisdom. Her presence makes visible the connection between teaching and sacred figure. In the archival work, White Tara and Green Tara complete the programme through themes of longevity, protection and compassionate action. Prajñāpāramitā’s central position organises the ensemble, while the lateral figures establish a rhythm across the surface. Considering the cover as a unified composition brings the relationships among the images into clearer focus than a series of separate descriptions.
The copper facing invites comparison with painting on wood. The Metropolitan Museum’s Prajñāpāramitā cover, accession 1979.511, dated to the tenth–eleventh century, shows Prajñāpāramitā at the centre with Padmapani Lokeshvara and Vajrasattva beside her. The main subject is shared, but technique and accompanying figures differ. In the Dalton Somaré cover, repoussé relief and gilding construct the image through a metal surface; in the museum example, line and colour operate on the wooden support.
The pair of Nepalese covers in the Metropolitan Museum, accessions 1983.555.2 and 1983.555.3, dated to the eleventh–twelfth century, also provides a comparison for the arrangement of several deities in sequence. Studying these objects alongside sculpture broadens our understanding of Newar art: the sacred repertoire moves across materials, adapting to the function of its support. The book becomes a setting where the expertise of scribes, painters and metalworkers meets religious practice.
References and comparative works
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cover for an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, inv. 1979.511.
