Derge Printing House, Derge, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet
ca. 1979
The right hand is extended in a giving gesture.
Derge Printing House, Derge, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet
ca. 1979
Tangtong Gyelpo (1361–1485) is a Tibetan cultural hero renowned for engineering, medicine, and geomancy. His protective circle of mantras (yantra) serves as protection against earthquakes.
This woodblock print was printed at the Derge Printing House in the Kham region of southeastern Tibet (modern-day Ganzi, Sichuan Province, PRC). Founded in 1729, it is one of the largest and most important producers of traditional Tibetan woodblock prints.
The right hand is extended in a giving gesture.
A skull cup is an attribute of tantric deities and is usually paired with a curved knife. It can symbolize a mind filled with the bliss of realizing the true nature of reality.
Himalayan art includes portraits of legendary and historical humans, including accomplished religious teachers (lamas), the Buddha’s original disciples (arhats), and spiritually accomplished tantric masters (mahasiddhas).
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
Woodblock printing became an important technology of production, propagation, and cross-cultural exchange of both text and image in Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian regions from the 12th century on.
Get the latest news and stories from the Rubin, plus occasional information on how to support our work.