Two painted wooden book covers

NEPAL, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

Two painted wooden book covers
Nepal, 18th/19th century
Each with four deities painted on each side, one side with a green background surrounded by pink lotus petals, the other with a yellow background and red flowers
Opaque pigments on wood
15 5/8 x 3 7/8 in. (39.7 x 9.8 cm.) each (2)

Provenance

Estate of Mr. Fong Chow, New York, acquired before 2000

Literature

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 30654-30657

Lot Essay

The first cover has the birth of the world and human condition represented as the white and red stones at the bottom, with a four-armed red deity supporting a succession of Vishnu's avatars above (turtle, snake, fish and Varaha). The second cover shows the chakras as they related to the upper part of the body and head. The versos of each cover (yellow background) use Shaiva iconography to show slightly different versions of the body chakra system.

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