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
12th-13th century
The Hindu goddess Durga assembled the weapons of all the gods and overcame the demigod Mahisha, who endangered the order of the world. She is represented here at the moment of her victory. Having chopped off the head of a bull, Durga pulls the body of the demigod by the hair from the animal and stabs him before he can even draw this sword.
This outstanding sculpture perfectly combines the dynamic with the static. The goddess’s powerful stance and fan of arms are balanced by her otherwise delicate features and calm expression. Her fan of arms is magnificently rendered in three-dimensions; the positioning of multiple arms to her arched back gives the appearance of two arms captured in different positions along an arc, as if conveying motion.
Watch the lost-wax process by which this sculpture was created
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