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Vivid Images, Not Opaque Words: UL Add.864, the so-called Cambridge Kalāpustaka manuscript from early modern Nepal
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The article focuses on a masterfully illuminated manuscript from early 17 th century Nepal preserved in the Cambridge University Library (Add.864), which was possibly produced by a thriving atelier in Bhaktapur. This accordion book consists of one hundred and forty-four polychrome miniatures of extremely vivid grace and exuberant character, accompanied by Sanskrit captions. Among its many themes, it depicts several narratives of both sacred and secular nature -mostly taken from Brahmanical sources such as the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyaṇa and the Vetālapancaviṃśati, but also including scenes from the Buddhist story of Sudhana and the Kinnarī. The article examines the iconographic programme of Add.864, suggesting that it may have been conceived as a didactic visual tool for the elites that partook in the high culture of early modern Nepal.
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A kalapustaka in Cambridge University Library (UL Add.864) is one of the most extensive sources for the sixteenth-century style of painting and is dated by scholars to roughly the same period as the shields.
“one of the most extensive sources for this sixteenth-century style of painting is a kala ˉpustaka (illustrated book) held in the collection of the Cambridge University Library (UL Add.864), a text dated by scholars to roughly the same period as our shields and one whose importance has been well-recognized (see Pal 1967 and Cuneo 2017).”
From Divinized protection: a set of unique, inscribed shields from Malla, Nepal (2026) · cites this paper as Cuneo 2017
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Divinized protection: a set of unique, inscribed shields from Malla, Nepal
Pangsrivongse, P. (2026) · Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies · doi:10.1017/s0041977x26101104
Metadata
- Authors
- Cuneo, D.
- Corresponding author
- Cuneo, Daniele
- ORCID
- Cuneo, Daniele
- Venue
- Indic Manuscript Cultures through the Ages
- Publisher
- De Gruyter
- Published
- 2017-12-18
- Pages
- 551-586
- OpenAlex
- W2778726174
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- De Gruyter eBooks (publishedVersion, cc-by-nd)
- HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Visual Culture and Art Theory
- Keywords
- illuminated manuscripts, accordion books, iconography, Mahabharata, Ramayana, high culture
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