Sculpture: Book Covers (Robert & Alice Piccus)
Sculpture: Book Covers (Robert & Alice Piccus) | Christies: Paintings | Christies: Sculpture | Christies on HAR Main Page | Book Covers Main Page | Book Covers Outline PageAll Himalayan art book covers are functional first and foremost. Book covers can also be decorative art. Their primary function is to protect the top and bottom of an unbound manuscript. Book covers can be plain with no relief carving or painting - simply a plank of wood.
The decorative covers have two main types, figurative and abstract. The artistic subject can be drawn on the flat surface or there can be relief carving of the wood surface to create figures or patterns. The cover can then be left plain - the colour of the wood, or it can be painted or have gold leaf applied to the figures or abstract design.
Sometimes fancy scripts such as Ranjana, Lantsa or Tibetan are added to the top cover to accompany both figurative and decorative abstract patterns.
The most common subject of figurative book covers are depictions of Buddhas, the female deity Prajnaparamita and various bodhisattva. Four of the book covers below are figurative and six are abstract.
Figurative Covers: 24109, 24110, 24113, 24123
Abstract: 24111, 24112, 24119, 24120, 24121, 24122
Jeff Watt 3-2016
