Country Group: The Himalayas (Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia and Other)

Item id: 8218

14thC Tibetan Book Cover. Superb example. Evidence of likely having been turned into a shelf or other piece of furniture during the Cultural Revolution to hide it from being destroyed. As seen in the photos, there is evidence of dowels on the back and a small notch cut in the front. Remarkable central figure. The front was almost all grey/black when I bought this twenty years ago. One night I got the strong feeling there was something underneath, so I took some museum wax and a soft cloth and gently rubbed on the surface for nearly an hour, and the eyes, lips and horns, plus the red and gold design around the edge all gradually appeared out of the dark. The hair on my arms stood up as the eyes appeared (after almost twenty years of only knowing this as a dark shadowy figure). The central figure almost seems alive. I've seen no other book cover like it. It has significant wear but in no way takes away from the beauty of this fantastic piece. 28 3/4 inches by 10 1/4 inches for the book cover only and a little over 13 1/2 inches tall on its custom base.