The workmanship of Newar artists from the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal was and is cherished throughout the Himalayas. The artistic traditions of Nepal and Tibet have long been in continuous exchange. Contact with Nepalese artisans was particularly strong prior to 1500 in the central Tibetan region of Tsang, immediately north of Nepal.
This section of the exhibition assembles objects from Nepal and the wider Tsang region of Central Tibet. Nepalese aesthetics and artistic techniques were particularly prominent in the early art of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism, which was politically dominant in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and whose main monasteries are in this region. Tibetans later recognized the common Nepalese idiom in their art by classifying these works as expressions of the Nepalese Style (Beri).
Select each work to learn more.
Nepal
ca.1500
In this mandala of Chandra, the personification of the moon, the deities are not depicted residing in a palace, as is typical of other mandalas. Instead Chandra sits at center on an elaborate chariot pulled by geese with a complex arch framing his head. The mandala is set against a black background with the corners symmetrically distributed.
Stylistically the Buddhist paintings of Nepal and Tibet are closely related, but there are some features that are characteristically Nepalese. One such cultural concern reflected here is the expansive depiction of patronage, ritual action, and veneration at the bottom of the painting.
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