c. 18th century

Illumination of Prajnaparamita

Lavish loose-leaf books, made up of sheets like these indigo-dyed examples, included both gold text and golden illuminations. The goddess in the center of the top sheet is Prajnaparamita, the embodiment of a famous text of the same name that means "The Perfection of Wisdom." Wearing luxurious clothing decorated with gold flowers, she holds a string of pearl prayer beads and a book with white pages and red covers. Colorful wish-granting jewels dangle from her throne. Patrons believed that they reaped spiritual rewards (called merit) by commissioning elaborate copies of this text, and gained more merit every time the book was read.