A CARVED WOOD AND POLYCHROME BOOK COVER TIBET, 12TH OR EARLY 13TH CENTURY |

the inner face painted with blue Achala at the left wearing a tiger skin tied at the waist, standing with a khadga in his raised right hand with the left in tarjani mudra holding a pasa, stepping in pratyalidhasana on a lotus against a halo of flames; white Avalokiteshvara with right hand lowered in varadamudra and the left holding the stem of a lotus, seated in lalitasana on a lotus pedestal with a green cushion behind; golden Manjuvajra with red and green faces showing either side, principal hands in humkara mudra and holding from left the sara, khadga, nilotpala, chapa, and seated on a lotus against a red halo; red Hayagriva to the right with a horse head in the flaming hair, wearing a tiger skin around the waist, a danda held in the raised right hand with the left in tarjani mudra Himalayan Art Resources item no. 18455.

Good overall condition. Colors vibrant on painted side, wear to edges and some surface abrasions throughout. Traces of polychromy, accretion, some wear to carving, and wear to gilding on carved side and edges.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Compare the bulk, posture and jewellery of Achala and Hayagriva with tantric deities on the base of a standing Avalokiteshvara in a twelfth century thangka, see Steven M. Kossak and Jane Casey Singer, Sacred Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet, New York, 1998, p. 79, cat. no. 12. Also compare a twelfth century Tibetan painted book cover depicting Manjuvajra in the Maclean Collection, see Kathryn H. Selig Brown, Protecting Wisdom: Tibetan Book Covers from the MacLean Collection, Munich, London, New York, 2012, p. 62, cat. 7.