In early Tibetan painted portraits, founding masters of important Buddhist schools were often represented as holy personages. Using artistic conventions developed in India, Tibetan artists expressed the Buddhist ideals embodied in a particular person, exalting their human subjects to the level of buddhas.
Mirror of the Buddha presents exquisite examples of these portraits, painted primarily in the eastern India-inspired Sharri style. Though the Sharri tradition spread from India to many parts of Asia, the style’s classic Indian forms, delicate colors, and intricate decorative details were emulated most faithfully by Tibetans and enjoyed particular popularity in Tibet from the 12th to 14th century.
Marking the third in a series of exhibitions that explores important Tibetan painting styles, Mirror of the Buddha clarifies some of the confusion and corrects misidentifications previously posited by Western scholars. It also analyzes inscriptions and lineages, which are often overlooked yet of critical importance, as tools for dating these works of art.
Mirror of the Buddha is complemented by a full-color catalog rich with new scholarship by curator David Jackson.
David Jackson is a former curator at the Rubin Museum of Art. He is the author of A Saint in Seattle, Tibetan Thangka Painting, and A History of Tibetan Painting.
Christian Luczanits was a senior curator at the Rubin from 2010–2014. He studied Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, University of Vienna, Austria, with a focus on art historical subjects. There he completed his PhD under the external supervision of the late Maurizio Taddei, Istituto Universitario Orientale, Napoli.
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