Book Cover

Wood book covers often received elaborate treatment in Tibet, reflecting the importance of the texts that they protected. Hardwood is relatively rare in many areas of Tibet, and the thick pieces of wood used for each book cover represented great effort and expense.

A traditional Tibetan book has two covers that are used to enclose stacked unbound paper pages. The book is then wrapped in fabric to protect the pages from separation, dust, and smoke. The carved and painted decoration of this book cover is typical of work done in the thirteenth century. Such covers frequently display geometric patterns and have some shallow carving. They are usually varnished and thus appear glossy although they are created with the same mineral pigments as Tibetan scroll paintings.