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.
Karnali Basin, Khasa Malla Kingdom, Northwestern Nepal
13th-14th century
Artistic centers developed in a number of kingdoms along the Himalayan range, including the Khasa Malla kingdom of northwestern Nepal, to which this fine image of the Buddha can be attributed. The sculpture exudes stability and has a proportionally large head with a low forehead and a wide protuberance on the top of the head (ushnisha).
Characteristics of images from this region are the beak-like nose and downcast eyes widening at the sides. The details of his monastic robe, the ornamented hem across the chest, and the tail end on the shoulder are rather stylized. He wears upturned earrings inlaid with turquoise, an unusual feature of the Khasa Malla aesthetic.
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