Appearances can be deceptive: The case of NGMPP AT 61/21

This essay has the aim of presenting a case study I stumbled upon while working on the project entitled "Tibetan Book Evolution and Technology" (TiBET), funded by a Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellowship (May 2013–April 2015) and hosted at the University of Cambridge (Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit [MIASU]).One of the aims of the TiBET project was the identification of the characteristic stylistic features that might help with locating the provenance of early Tibetan prints from south-western Tibet, that is to say, the printing house where a certain xylograph was produced or else the network of masters and artists that worked at a certain printery or on a specific project. Nevertheless, appearances can sometimes be deceptive. In order to identify the provenance of a certain print, it is necessary to take into account all the elements at our disposal, that is to say, the codicological style of the edition (title page, layout, size, orthographic peculiarities, illustrations, etc.), information provided in the printing colophon, if available, the materials used (paper, ink, pigments, wood, etc.), if possible, the book cover typology, if applicable. Failing to do so may set us in the wrong direction.