Manuscript Cover with the Thirty-Five Buddhas

CHINA, Tibet

This wooden cover has a representation of the Thirty-Five Buddhas. There is an image of Sakyamuni Buddha in the center, seated on a low platform, below which is an empty niche with a lion on either side. The Buddha is accompanied by 30 other seated Buddhas performing five different mudras. The remaining four Buddhas are located in the center of the border on each side. The border is decorated with a double layer of lotuses with a bead pattern framing the Buddhas.
The painted back of the cover consists of the Four-Armed Prajnaparamita, flanked by two attendant Bodhisattvas, and accompanied by eight other Bodhisattvas, one mahasidda, and nine lamas. Prajnaparamita is portrayed as a Bodhisattva in female form and wears a crown as well as necklaces. Two hands form a mudra, while the other two hold a scroll and a vajra. Above Prajnaparamita is a dark blue canopy, in the center of which there is the face of a lion. A makara, a horse, and an elephant are on either side of the mandorla and nimbus.