Manjushrikirti, King of Shambhala, From a set of previous incarnations of the Panchen Lamas Du Jinsheng Silk Factory, Maojiabu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China ca. 1922-1937
Arhat Subhuti (After Choying Gyatso’s (active ca.1640s-1660s) Set of Previous Incarnations of the Panchen Lamas) Central Tibet 19th century
Protection From Disease Dolpo region, western Nepal ca. 1975
Woodblock Print of the Buddha with His Assembly China 18th - 19th century
Buddha’s Birth, from a set of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha Eastern Tibet, Kham Province, Derge Printing House after 1960
Pavilion of Raining Flowers (Yuhua Ge 雨花閣) Beijing Qing dynasty
Mandala of Eight Great Bodhisattvas Yulin Cave 25, east wall Middle Tang (781–848)
Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra (Tibetan Ruler Listening to the Dharma) Mogao Cave 360, east wall, south side; Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China
Sutra Covers with the Eight Buddhist Treasures China Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Yongle period (1403–24)
Chariot Ritual (Bhimaratha Pata) Bodhisattva Suryabaskara Woodblock for printing Tibetan text Stupa Sitatapatra Frontispiece from The Great Destroyer of the Thousand Foes (Mahasahasrapramardani) Sutra Manuscript Illuminated Manuscript Page Depicting Four Forms of Mahakala & Vaishravana Vairochana, From a Set of Initiation Cards (Taskali) Ratnasambhava, From a Set of Initiation Cards (Tsakali) Avalokiteshvara Medicine Buddha Palace (copy of first painting from the set of the Tibetan Medical Paintings from Mentsikhang Lhasa) Buddha’s Birth, from a set of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha, Print from a woodblock Mandala of Chakrasamvara Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali Buddha Vairochana Flying Naga Life Story of Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) Arhat Ajita Temple Banner with Seven Symbols of Royal Power and Offerings Chabui (r); album leaf from Album of the Bust Portraits of Yuan Empresses (Yuandai hou banshen xiang shou ce 元代后半身像手冊) probably Daidu (Beijing), China Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)
Chakrasamvara and the Footprints of Drigungpa Jikten Sumgon (1143–1217) Tibet before 1217
Chakrasamvara in Union with Vajravarahi central Tibet ca. 1386
Changkya Rolpai Dorje China 18th century
Damchen, the Oath-Bound Protector Gura Sharkha, Minyak, Kham region, eastern Tibet dated 1655 Attributed by inscription to Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (Tibetan, 1604–1674)
Deities of the Padmakula Mandala Dunhuang, China period of Tibetan rule (ca. 781–848)
Demon-Binding Against Sickness Dolpo region, western Nepal ca. 1975
Detail of a nobleman’s robe Delgerkhaan soum, Khentii Province, Mongolia Mongol Imperial period, 14th century
Detail of Second Tashi Gomang Densatil Monastery, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) erected from 1360 for Drakpa Gyeltsen Pietro Francesco Mele (Italian, born ca. 1924)
Detail of Two Arhats and Heshang with a Woman Washing Daikon Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China dated 1660 Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (Tibetan, 1604–1674)
Detail of Two Indian and Four Tibetan Masters central Tibet early 13th century
Donor Figure western Nepal/western Tibet 13th–14th century
Drawing of Vajravarahi ca. 1687 Lhodrak Kukye Norbu Gyatso (active late 17th century)
Drilbu Bell Claimed to Have Been Discovered by Dorje Lingpa Thimpu, Bhutan discovered in the 14th century
Elephant-skin drum with stone base inside Longguodian (Hall of Dynastic Prosperity) China Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Folios from a Biography of Milarepa Tibet 17th–18th century
Forty-Three-Deity Mandala of Manjuvajra central Tibet 1375–1380
Frontispiece from the Great Destroyer of the Thousand Foes (Mahasahasrapramardani) Sutra Manuscript Tibet ca. 13th–14th century
Frontispiece of the Chinese translation of Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra (Diamond Sutra) Dunhuang, present-day Gansu Province, China 11 May 868 CE
Pancharaksha (Five Protections ) illuminated manuscriptNepal 1138 Sri Ananda Buddhi, Nepalese (b. 12th century)
Going on Pilgrimage on All Fours and An Ascetic Sleeping on the Points of a Thousand Wooden Spikes India ca. 1940 Gendun Chopel (Tibetan, 1903–1951)
Green Tara central Tibet ca. 1260s
Green Tara Khara Khoto, Inner Mongolia, China; Western Xia late 12th–13th century
Handheld Drum (Damaru) Tibet or Mongolia early 20th century
Incense burner with Yongle-period inscription in Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit China 15th century; Yongle reign (1402–1424)
Interior view of the “Jung Ho [Ronghe] idol factory” (copper workshop) located near the Yonghegong Monastery, Beijing, China 1930s
Jataka of the Bodhisattva Sonam Tob (Story 90); north wall of the ground-floor circumambulatory passage Zhalu Monastery; Tsang District, central Tibet 14th century
Kadampa-style Reliquary Stupa Tibet 13th or 14th century
Karmapa in Cave (Tenth Karmapa, Sixth Gyeltsab, and Kuntu Zangpo) Tibet or Gyeltang, northern Yunnan 17th century (ca. 1668–1674) Attributed to Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (Tibetan, 1604–1674)
Karmapa with His Footprints central Tibet late 12th–early 13th century
King of Lijiang, Mu Zeng (1598–1646; r. 1598–1624/46), Official Portrait Lijiang, China Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Lacquered Wood Duomu Pitcher with Gold Floral Designs China 19th–20th century
Lama Zhang Tangut Xixia 1032–1227
Livestock Charm primarily Dolpo region, Nepal since 1975
Mandala of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Several Different Aspects: Padmapani, Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara, Chintamanichakra Avalokiteshvara, and Amoghapasha at center Dunhuang, China period of Tibetan rule (ca. 781–848)
Mandala of Sarvavid Vairocana (Durgatiparisodhana from the Vajradhatu Mandala Series) Inner Mongolia or Beijing ca. 18th century
Mandala of the Buddhist Deity Chakrasamvara Nepal dated 1490
Mandala with the Five Dhyani (Meditation) Buddhas, symbolic of the five cosmic elements, identifiable as Vairochana (center), Amitabha (top), Ratnasambhava (left), Amoghasiddhi (right); and Akshobhya (bottom) Dunhuang, China ca. 851–900
Manjughosha Emperor, Niched hanging shrine panel, Eastern Side Hall, Pavilion of Raining Flowers Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, and Vajrapani Imperial Workshop, Nanjing or Beijing Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)
Manjushri, torma butter sculpture Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014
Marpa Lotsawa (1012–1097) Tibet 17th century Attributed by inscription to Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (Tibetan, 1604–1674)
Monk’s Cap Ewer (Sengmao ju) Jingdezhen, China Yongle Period (1403–1424); collection of Shah Jahan where it was incised with date 1053 AH (or 1643–1644)
Mu Zeng as a Monk (木生白画像) Xitansi Monastery, Chicken Foot Mountain, Yunnan Province, China 17th century
Musical Notations of Mahakala Melodies Written by the Ninth Karmapa (Tib. Mgon po’i dbyangs yig Karma pa dgu pa’i phyag bris), pages 44 and 63 One Hundred and Eight Stupas arranged in a triangular shape on the hill China period (1038–1227)
Painted Scroll of Bhimaratha Ritual Hāku Bāhāḥ, Kathmandu, Nepal dated by inscription January 1830
Painted Scroll of Laksha Chaitya Ritual Kathmandu, Nepal dated by inscription January 1808
Pakpa Lokeshvara (copy of the original in the Potala Palace, Lhasa) central Tibet 13th–14th century
Palden Lhamo, torma butter sculpture Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014
Panoramic Map of Mount Wutai Cifu Temple, Wutaishan, China 1846 Monk Lhundrub, engraver of Sanggai Aimag (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Panoramic View of Mount Wutai Mogao Cave 61, Dunhuang, northwestern Gansu Province, China ca. 948
Pensive Avalokiteshvara Imperial Workshop, Nanjing or Beijing Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)
Pensive Avalokiteshvara on the back of Maitreya Statue Yecheng, Hebei Province 547
Prajnaparamita with Devotees; folio from a Shatasahasrika Prajnaparamita manuscript (The Perfection of Wisdom) Toling Monastery, Ngari region, western Tibet 11th century
Qubilai Khan; album leaf from Album of the Bust Portraits of Yuan Emperors (Yuandai di banshen xiang ce 元代帝半身像冊) probably Daidu (Beijing), China Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)
Raktayamari Imperial Workshop, South China Ming Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)
Rock Painting (no longer extant) Taktsang, Upper Paro Valley, western Bhutan ca. 14th–15th century
Roll of Mantras for a Prayer Wheel and Its Spindle Tibet ca. 12th–13th century
Scenes from the Early Life of the Buddha western Tibet or western Nepal 14th century
Seated Bodhisattva China late 13th–14th century
Second Jamyang Zhepa (1728–1791), torma butter sculpture Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014
Set of Saddle Plates Tibet or China ca. 1400
Shakyamuni Flanked by His Main Disciples Lijiang, Yunnan Province 17th century Karmapa workshop
Shakyamuni, torma butter sculpture Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014
Sketches of Floral Patterns and Mythological Creatures, pages from a sketchbook in a folding book (thyasaphu) format Tibet (and Nepal?) 1435 Jivarama (active in 15th century)
Standing Bodhisattva with Yongle-period inscription in Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit on the base China 15th century, Yongle period (1403–1424)
Statue of Ten Thousand Knives Padmasambhava, said to be made of melted knives offered by the local population in the aftermath of a murder Khamar Monastery, Dornogovi Province, Mongolia First half of 19th century, crown made in 2005 Two artisans from the Chinese metal workshops of Dolonnuur and local smiths following the instructions of the great reincarnate lama Danzin-Rabjai (1804–1856)
Statue of the bodhisattva Manjushri with Yongle reign inscription in Chinese on the lotus base China 15th century; Yongle reign (1402–1424)
Stone relief on a wall of Qianlong’s underground tomb Yuling 裕陵 Mausoleum, Eastern Tombs
Stūpas in Old Carvings India ca. 1940 Gendun Chopel (Tibetan, 1903–1951)
Subhasitaratnanidhi (Treasury of Good Sayings) Mongolian translation in phags pa (square script) Khocho 13th–14th century
The Akshobya Mandala and White and Blue Achala Segoma Lhakhang, Zhalu Monastery; Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) 14th century
The Black Treasury Manuscript, Dream of the Four Pillars Tibet ca. 1475
The Buddha’s Footprints and Incarnations of Avalokiteshvara Tibet 10–11th century
The Five Jina Buddhas Segoma Lhakhang, Zhalu Monastery; Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) 14th century
The Ninth Karmapa (left) and the Sixth Zhamar (right), editor of the Jang (Lijiang) Kangyur, frontispiece of the catalog (karchak) by the Sixth Zhamar, vol. 109 of the Jang Satham (Lijiang) edition of the Tibetan Kangyur, folio 1a Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China 1621
The North Fort at Taku, China, 1860 North Fort at Taku, China 1860 Felice Beato (British, 1832–1909)
Thirteen-Deity Mandala of Jnanadakini central Tibet 1375–1380
Thirteenth Karmapa, Dudul Dorje (1733–1797), from a Pelpung set of Masters of the Combined Kagyu Lineages Kham region, eastern Tibet ca. 1760s
Thirty-Two-Deity Mandala of Aksobhyavajra, the second painting of the Vajravali set commissioned in memory of Lama Dampa central Tibet, Sakya tradition 1375–1380
Vajradhara, Nairatmya, and Mahasiddhas Virupa and Kanha central Tibet ca. 1450
Vajradhatu (Diamond Realm) Mandala central Tibet 14th century
View of Putuo Zongcheng Temple Chengde, China 1767–1771
Virupa China Yongle period (1402–1424)
Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara, with Xuanzang, a Monkey-Headed Protector, and a White Horse Cave 2 of East Thousand-Buddha Grottoes; Tangut Kingdom (Xixia) (present-day Guazhou, Gansu Province, China) ca. 12th–13th century
White Achala Segoma Lhakhang, Zhalu Monastery; Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) 14th century
White Stupa, known as Precious Stupa of Great Compassion and Longevity, and its surroundings Great Precious Stupa Cloister Monastery; Mount Wutai, Shanxi Province, China 1301, renovated in 1407
Wind-Powered Prayer Wheel (mani lung khor) Tibet before 1920
Xijindu Stupa Gate Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province dated 1311
Yamantaka Palace Mandala Potala Palace, Lolang Lhakhang, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet 1751
Red-Robed Monk of the Western Regions 1304 Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322)
Zhenjue Temple, the Five Pagoda Temple Beijing, China 1473
“Long Live the Emperor” Tablet Longguodian (Hall of Dynastic Prospertity), Quantsi; Drotsang, Tsongka, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (present-day Ledu county, Qinghai Province, China) 1427
“Cloud Faced” Black-Cloaked Mahakala Tibet 16th century either painted or inscribed by the Eighth Karmapa (1507–1554)
A Case of Tibetan Kangyur Nanjing, Imperial Workshop 1410 (eighth year of Yongle reign)
Achala Tangut Xixia, excavated from Kara Khoto 13th century
Amitayus, torma butter sculpture Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014
Appliqué Cloth Thangka of Maitreya Gyantse 1437–1439 based on sketch of Sonam Peljor
Arhat Ajita China Yongle period (1402–1424)
Arhat, possibly Vanavasa Imperial Workshop, Nanjing or Beijing Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)
Avalokiteshvara Yatse Kingdom (Khasa Malla Kingdom), western Nepal/western Tibet ca. 13th–14th century
Avalokiteshvara seated in the Maharajajila posture China ca. 10th–13th century
Avalokiteshvara in His Potala Pure Land Tibet late 18th–early 19th century
Avalokiteshvara-Amoghapasha Segoma Lhakhang, Zhalu Monastery; Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) 14th century
Avalokiteshvara, torma butter sculpture Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014
Black Cloak Mahakala Kham Province, eastern Tibet 18th century Situ Panchen (1700–1774)
Bodhisattva China 13th century
Buddha Shakyamuni, central painting from a set of seven paintings Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China dated 1660 Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (Tibetan, 1604–1674)
Buddha Vairochana Bimda Temple; near Jyekundo (present-day Qinghai Province, China) 806
Project Himalayan Art
