This Buddhist prayer sheet is a rare survivor among hundreds of identical prints featuring Avalokite?vara, a form of the Boddhisatva of compassion, and was produced in 947 to celebrate the annual Ghost Festival. In the early 11th century, this print…
The oblong pages of this palm-leaf style (pothi) book are covered with Sanskrit phrases (mantra) to treat illness, prevent disaster, and grant wellbeing. The five protective goddesses pictured here embody the five Buddhist mantra collections that…
The lacquered cover of this Shahnameh manuscript showcases a dense pattern of grape-bearing vine scrolls, which continued to be an influential motif over the following centuries. This handwritten manuscript contains the Shahnameh (literally, "Book of…
This fifteenth-century copy of an important textbook in Islamic law is intricately annotated with the notes of a legal expert (Arabic faqih) in Egypt who was using the book as a teaching tool. The notes are largely case studies and problems in law,…
This Jewish marriage contract (Hebrew ketubah) details the groom"s financial obligations to the bride in the event of divorce or widowhood. Both text and decorative object, designed to be displayed in the couple"s home, it belonged to David ben…
These delicate tapestry-woven textile armbands with inscriptions (Arabic tiraz) rendered in golden Kufic script lettering would have adorned the wearer's body in a luxurious echo of the regal blue and gold parchment Qur'ans produced during the…
Used for protection against illness, difficult childbirth, and the evil eye, this Ethiopian amulet scroll (Amharic kitab, Arabic for "book") was created by an ordained minister (Amharic debtara) from pieces of parchment tailored to the height of the…
This late copy of the Dala'il al-Khayrat was created in Morocco, where the work was originally composed four hundred years earlier. Thousands of others were produced throughout the Islamic world, making it the most popular devotional work after the…
Spiritual travel is experienced through sung prayer as well as through map image. This choir book or "antiphoner" includes chants for the Christian Holy Week of Easter. So heavy that it can only be moved by two people, this enormous book would have…
This monumental map follows India's Ganges River and one of its sources, the Alakananda, from the point of view of a Hindu pilgrim travelling from one shrine to the next, following the path of the rivers from left to right. Beginning at Devprayag,…