Mandala of Sarvavid Vairocana (Durgatiparisodhana from the Vajradhatu Mandala Series)

Senge Dradok, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet 18th century

Dorje Drolo, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet 19th century

Loden Chokse, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet 19th century

Pema Gyelpo, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Eastern Tibet early 20th century

Orgyen Dorje Chang, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Eastern Tibet 19th century

Padmasambhava, Pema Jungne

Kham Province, Eastern Tibet late 18th-19th century

Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle

Ewam Choden Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet 1429–1456

Blue-skinned, many-armed, cow- and human-headed deity in dynamic pose before fiery nimbus

Vajrabhairava Solitary of Rwa Lotsawa Tradition

Western mural painting in Hevajra Chapel, middle floor, Gongkar Chode Monastery, Gongkar County, Lhokha, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1464–1476

Deity and consort locked in embrace, holding spiritual implements, surrounded by deity portraits

Drenpa Namkha (ca. 8th century)

Amdo Province, Eastern Tibet 19th century

Painting mounted on orange brocade depicting lama seated amidst deity and lama portraits

Bon Lama Sanggye Lingpa (1705-1735)

Gyelrong, Eastern Tibet 19th century

Wrathful deity stands in dynamic pose before fiery nimbus, surrounded by deity portraits

Takla Membar

Tibet 19th century

Many-armed, blue-skinned deity locked in embrace with orange-skinned deity holds animal pelt behind back

The Buddhist Deities Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi

Tibet (by a Newar artist) ca. 15th century

Scores of figures dressed in red form long, snaking line; group of blue-robed figures stands at left

Maitreya Procession at Lama-yin Gegeen-ü Khüriye

Mongolia late 19th–early 20th century

Painting mounted on blue damask depicting Buddha wearing resplendent green and blue garment

Maitreya

Mongolia late 19th century

Panchen Lama rebirth lineage portraits, set of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Mandala of Eight Great Bodhisattvas

Yulin Cave 25, east wall Middle Tang (781–848)

Nyima Oser, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Tibet 18th century

Golden statuette depicting lama seated on lotus pedestal with hands in mudras at chest

Bon Lama, Rinchen Gyeltsen (1415-1446)

Central Tibet 18th century

Golden statue depicting crowned four-armed goddess of war standing in dynamic position

Kaumari

Nepal 17th or 18th century

Silver cylindrical object with faces of four figures in relief at cardinal points

Four-faced Linga

Nepal 18th - 19th century

Three-story pagoda-roofed pavilion featuring elaborately carved loggia eaves and intricate window screens

Pavilion of Raining Flowers (Yuhua Ge 雨花閣)

Beijing Qing dynasty

Black and white detail of wall painting depicting a ruler and his retinue facing a group of three people

Vimalakirti-nirdesha Sutra (Tibetan Ruler Listening to the Dharma)

Mogao Cave 360, east wall, south side; Dunhuang, Gansu Province, China

Painting on cloth depicting Buddha seated on lotus pedestal, surrounded by attendants, before mountainous background

Buddha Shakyamuni with Arhats

Tibet 18th century

Painting depicting white stupa adorned with deities floating above landscape, surrounded by deity portraits

Ushnisavijaya and Celebration of Old Age (Jyatha Janko)

Nepal 19th century

Ruddy-brown sculpture depicting deity with countless heads and arms arranged in semi-circles at sides of body

Cosmic Vishnu (Vishvarupa)

Nepal 17th–18th century

Stupa and multitude of deity portraits hover above landscape at top two-thirds; two scenes featuring throngs of figures at bottom third

Chariot Ritual (Bhimaratha Pata)

Nepal dated by inscription, 1902

Two halves of bronze-colored mold used to produce sculpture depicting monk with hands at chest in prayer

Mold for an image of Tsongkhapa (1357-1419)

Mongolia 19th century

Bodhisattva wearing blue and red brocade dhoti stands, holding long-stemmed blossom, amongst clouds and blossoms

Bodhisattva Suryabaskara

China or Inner Mongolia 18th century

Two Bodhisattvas glance at one another while seated on lotus platforms before pagoda-roofed structure

Bodhisattvas Maitreya and Manjushri in Tushita Pure Realm

Tibet early 20th century

Vajra and Bell

Tibet 18th century

Cup made from human skull mounted on brass tripod, decorated with face of deity, skulls, and garland motif

Skull Cup

Nepal ca. 18th century

Blue-skinned, many-armed, wrathful deity stands in embrace with pink-skinned consort before fiery nimbus

Chakrasamvara with Consort Vajravarahi

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

long, rectangular, ink-stained woodblock incised with dense text; handle with hole in center at left

Woodblock for printing Tibetan text

Himalayan region 18th–19th centuries

Deity wearing sumptuous red, green, and blue skirt holds white parasol before white disc and fiery nimbus

Sitatapatra

Tibet dated 1864

Bodhisattva wearing five-pointed crown and billowing blue sash seated atop lotus pedestal before mountainous landscape

Tara as Protectress from the Eight Fears

Eastern Tibet 19th century

Green-skinned, many-armed Bodhisattva wearing garland of human heads seated before fiery nimbus

Tara, as a Great Yogini, After a Set of Paintings “Twenty-seven Tantric Deities” designed by Situ Panchen (1700-1774)

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Painting in reds and golds depicting Buddha seated in meditation amidst grid of dozens of miniature portraits

Buddha Amitayus

Eastern Tibet 18th century

Rectangular painting depicting crowned figure and four wrathful deities standing in dynamic poses underneath arches

Illuminated Manuscript Page Depicting Four Forms of Mahakala & Vaishravana

China 17th century

Buddha wearing crown and golden necklaces, left hand held in mudra at chest, consort appearing from behind right shoulder

Vairochana, From a Set of Initiation Cards (Taskali)

Tibet ca. 14th century

Vajravarahi

Nepal dated by inscription, 1822

Bodhisattva holding long-stemmed blossom sits before landscape surrounded by dozens of portraits in grid arrangement

White Tara

Tibet 18th century

Padmasambhava

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Bronze-colored sculpture depicting Bodhisattva seated on lotus pedestal, torso inclined to the right, holding blossoms

Green Tara

Tibet ca. 18th century

Brass-colored statue depicting Buddha seated in meditation, holding bowl in lap and implement in extended left hand

Medicine Buddha

Mongolia 18th century

Avalokiteshvara

2022

Bird’s-eye view of golden-roofed palace complex surrounded by gardens with image of blue-skinned Buddha at center

Medicine Buddha Palace (copy of first painting from the set of the Tibetan Medical Paintings from Mentsikhang Lhasa)

Rebgong county, Qinghai province, China 2012-2013

Painting on beige textile depicting three full-body anatomical studies featuring écorché at right

Medical Painting of Minor Connecting Blood Vessels or Capillaries, Illustration to the Medical Treatise The Blue Beryl, Chapter 4

Tibet 18th century

Medical Instruments

Tibet 18th-19th century

Figure wearing red brocade robe and cap sits in garden setting amongst four portraits at corners of painting

Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyelsten

Tsang region, central Tibet 18th century

Medical chart featuring scenes arranged in registers divided into cells depicting patients in conversation with doctors

Medical Painting on Prophylactics, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Principles, Illustration to the Medical Treatise the Blue Beryl, Chapters 23–28

Central Tibet 19th century

Wrathful deity standing on haunches before fiery nimbus, holding staff in arms and implements in hands

Panjaranatha Mahakala

Tibet 18th century

Mandala in rust-reds and greens featuring vajra-pointed inner circle and deity portraits at corners

Mandala of Chakrasamvara

Tibet 14th-15th century

Golden sculpture depicting cow-headed, many-armed deity in embrace with consort surrounded by circle of deities

Vajrabhairava with Consort Vajravetali

China Ming dynasty (1368–1644), second half of the 15th century

Patinated golden sculpture depicting Buddha wearing pointed crown and tall hairstyle seated in meditation

Buddha Vairochana

China Qing dynasty (1644–1911), ca. 19th century

Painting depicting Bodhisattva wearing flared dhoti and golden belt standing amongst small deity portraits, above rows of attendants

Red Avalokiteshvara or Bunga Dya

Nepal dated by inscription, 1818

Six-armed deity stands in embrace with blue-skinned consort surrounded by deity portraits above sparse landscape

Heruka with Consort

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Three clusters of portraits centered on white-skinned deity in dancing pose hover above mountainous landscape

Refuge Field with Machik Labdron (1055–1153)

Tibet early 20th century

Many-armed and -headed wrathful goddess at center flanked by deities, each framed by fiery nimbus

Siddhi Lakshmi

Nepal dated by inscription, 1796

Buddha hovers, left hand extended towards ground, above landscape dotted with buildings and groups of figures

Life Story of Buddha Shakyamuni

Tibet 19th century

Buddha hovers, left hand extended towards ground, above mountainous landscape dotted with buildings and groups of figures

Buddha Shakyamuni and Teaching Stories (Avadana)

Central Tibet late 18th–19th century

Siddha holds left hand to back of head as he floats above rocky landscape dotted with buildings and groups of figures

Milarepa and Scenes from His Life

Tibet 18th century

Philosopher seated at left gazes at mountainous landscape dotted with magnificent buildings and groups of figures

Life Story of Tsongkhapa (1357–1419)

Tibet 18th century

Guru wearing saffron robe sits on lotus pedestal, hovering above landscape dotted with buildings and scenes

Padmasambhava and his eight manifestations

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Detail of painting depicting Enlightened Teacher in brocade robe tending to head of figure crouching at right

Arhat Nagasena

Tibet 18th century

Wrathful deity holds wheel decorated with five main scenes and multitude of smaller images, scenes, and portraits

Wheel of Existence

Tibet 18th century

Polychrome sculpture depicting bearded Enlightened Teacher wearing pleated robes painted with floral motif at chest

Arhat Ajita

Tibet or China 17th century

Lama wearing saffron robe seated on blue-cushioned throne with hands posed in mudras at chest

Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye (1813-1899)

Eastern Tibet early 20th century

Figure seated on throne underneath blossoming tree branches, above miniature scene, before mountainous landscape

Rongzom Chokyi Zangpo (1012-1088)

Eastern Tibet 18th century

Painting in gold on red background depicting Dalai Lama, seated at center, surrounded by portraits and foliage

The Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (1617–1682) with Previous Incarnations

Central Tibet 18th century

Bronze-colored sculpture depicting four-armed Bodhisattva seated on lotus pedestal; tightly wound textile scroll attached to front left arm

Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara

Tibet 16th century

Golden sculpture depicting bare-chested figure, seated with right knee raised, wearing turquoise-accented jewelry

Mahasiddha Avadhutipa

Tibet 17th–18th century

Siddha wearing magnificent blue, gold, and red garments seated in pastoral setting, accompanied by consort or deity

Indrabhuti, from a set of the Eight Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Colorful banner made of chevron-shaped pieces of textile supporting two paintings depicting woman at left, religious structure at right

Temple Banner with Seven Symbols of Royal Power and Offerings

Tibet 19th century

Wrathful deity wearing crown of skulls rides on yellow horse before nimbus of green flames

Pelden Lhamo

Mongolia late 17th century

Green-skinned Bodhisattva seated on throne decorated with animals and stupas; Left foot rests on lotus blossom

Tara

central Tibet ca. 1260

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)

Beige textile featuring two dark-sepia footprints standing astride line drawing of deity atop lotus pedestal

Chakrasamvara and the Footprints of Drigungpa Jikten Sumgon (1143–1217)

Tibet before 1217

Teacher seated against landscape, surrounded by clusters of portraits representing his lineage and various deities

Changkya Rolpai Dorje

China 18th century

Dancing Ganapati

central Tibet ca. mid-15th century

Deity with dark skin seated on lotus pedestal surrounded by seven smaller deities against green background

Deities of the Padmakula Mandala

Dunhuang, China period of Tibetan rule (ca. 781–848)

Close view of screened window featuring forced-perspective frame and densely carved semicircular pediment

Deshay Maru Jhya (Deshay Maru Jhya (Window without an Equal)

Yetakha tol; Kathmandu, Nepal ca. 18th century

Computer-generated image depicting design for monumental white stupa and colossal golden Buddha amid trees

Design for Grand Maitreya Project, work-in-progress

near Ulaanbaatar

Stylized female figure holding planet Earth, beset by flame and flood, in mouth as snake emerges from her pregnant belly

Desire

Lhasa 2020

Fragmentary dark-brown tunic featuring swirling cloud motifs at chest and on seams of garment

Detail of a nobleman’s robe

Delgerkhaan soum, Khentii Province, Mongolia Mongol Imperial period, 14th century

Painting on rectangular cloth depicting six scenes arranged in two columns and three rows

Bunga Dyo, the Legend of Red Avalokiteshvara

Nepal 1712

Five small rectangular paintings arranged in column depicting scenes featuring deities, animals, and spiritual implements

Illustrated Manuscript Depicting the Story of Water

Nepal 17th century

Four ladies wearing resplendent robes recline amongst collection of pitchers and other metal vessels

Detail of Makzor Gyelmo, Queen Who Repels Armies, from lower right of painting, showing four ladies with a range of vessels including a two-toned, open-top pitcher with spout and handle

Amdo region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Guru wearing patchwork robe with staff at right shoulder, bowl in right hand, and vajra in left

Guru Rinpoche/ Padmasambhava

Taktsang, upper Lhakhang, Upper Paro Valley, western Bhutan ca. 1692–93 (destroyed in 1998 fire)

Throng of people outside and on top of buildings greet horsedrawn cart laden with goods

Detail of Pegam Chest showing pitcher and chemar bo grain vessel on the central table as greeting offerings

19th century

Black and white photograph of tapered structure surrounded at base by registers of decoration and deity statues

Detail of Second Tashi Gomang

Densatil Monastery, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) erected from 1360 for Drakpa Gyeltsen

Mural depicting monarch at right with family members and attendants arranged to his left

Detail of The Altan Khan’s Family

Back Shrine of the Main Assembly Hall, Maidari-yin Juu, Inner Mongolia, China 18th century

Rabbit with velvety fur places paw in bowl brimming with white pellets before diaphanous tree branches

Detail of Two Arhats and Heshang with a Woman Washing Daikon

Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China dated 1660

Close view of saffron-robed figure seated with hands posed in mudras before orange nimbus

Detail of Two Indian and Four Tibetan Masters

central Tibet early 13th century

Deity at center of monumental stupa with lotus base surrounded by figures floating above verdant landscape

Ushnishavijaya

Tibet 18th century

Manuscript featuring landscape with stupas, pagodas and clouds at left, text in different languages at right

Detail of Yongle Handscroll, “Delivering the Soul of Ming Taizu,” at Lingusi, Nanjing, with inscriptions in Chinese, Persian, Tay, Tibetan, and Mongolian

China 1407

Red-robed figure uses hammer and chisel on stylized brown and green rock face before attendants and altar

Dungtso Repa Extracting Treasure, detail of a thangka

Gangteng Monastery, Nubding, Bhutan

Full view of large drum mounted horizontally on dark stone base in elephant shape

Elephant-skin drum with stone base inside Longguodian (Hall of Dynastic Prosperity)

China Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Black and white photograph of two-story, pagoda-roofed building featuring colonnades on both levels

Facade of the main assembly hall of Shara Süme, “Yellow Monastery,” imperial monastery built on the same model as Amarbayasgalant Khiid (1727–1736)

Dolonnuur, Inner Mongolia 1727–1731, partially destroyed by Russian troops in 1945

Tea-brown page with red border featuring Tibetan text and illuminations in color interspersed amongst text

Folios from a Biography of Milarepa

Tibet 17th–18th century

Mandala with blue textile border at top and bottom; panel of yellow textile raised to reveal painting.

Forty-Three-Deity Mandala of Manjuvajra

central Tibet 1375–1380

Saffron-colored painting mounted on orange and yellow brocade depicting seated Lama surrounded by small figures

Fourth Panchen Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen (1570–1662), with previous incarnations

Tsang region, central Tibet mid-17th century

Line drawing on beige paper depicting seated Buddha and retinue amid profusion of elaborate patterns and forms

Frontispiece of the Chinese translation of Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra (Diamond Sutra)

Dunhuang, present-day Gansu Province, China 11 May 868 CE

Monk seated in tree, surrounded by dozens of portraits, which hang like leaves from the branches

Geluk Refuge Field with Tsongkhapa

central Tibet ca. late 18th–early 19th century

Ghantapa as one of the Eight Great Tantric Adepts

Kham region, eastern Tibet 18th century

Watercolor depicting white stupa with needle-like spire situated on rocky outcropping

Godāvapa Stūpa

Sri Lanka 1941

Golden statue depicting goddess seated on lotus pedestal holding vajra in left hand at chest

Goddess Marichi

Mongolia late 17th or early 18th century

Green Tara

central Tibet ca. 1260s

Green-skinned goddess seated underneath arched structure bearing deity portraits and floral motifs in light blues

Green Tara

Khara Khoto, Inner Mongolia, China; Western Xia late 12th–13th century

Guru wearing orange and green patchwork robe, holding vajra in left hand at chest

Guru Rinpoche

second floor hallway, Tango Monastery 17th century (1688/90)

Small, green, double-headed drum attached with cord to long tassel embroidered with religious motifs

Handheld Drum (Damaru)

Tibet or Mongolia early 20th century

Gridded square with ten columns and ten rows, each containing plant illustration and accompanying text

Herbal Medicines, Painting 26 of the Tibetan Medical Paintings, Ulan Ude Set

Lhasa, central Tibet early 20th-century copy of original from ca. 1687–1697

Bird’s-eye view of enclosed complex of domed tents and religious structures behind forecourt filled with figures

Ikh Khüree Naadam

Mongolia 1966

Bird’s-eye-view of crowd assembled in circular formation on plaza before walled building complex

Ikh Khüree Tsam

Mongolia 1966

Red-brown carved stone cylindrical base for burning incense; features lotus motif at midsection and inscription

Incense burner with Yongle-period inscription in Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit

China 15th century; Yongle reign (1402–1424)

Black and white photograph of craftsman in his studio chiseling small piece of material to create face

Interior view of the “Jung Ho [Ronghe] idol factory” (copper workshop)

located near the Yonghegong Monastery, Beijing, China 1930s

Deity with three faces and eight arms holds implements in hands while seated on white lotus pedestal

Jügdernamjil (Three Deities of Longevity)

Mongolia late 19th century

Gold- and bronze-colored sculpture depicting seated, crowned Buddha flanked by two attendants

Juu Shakyamuni with his pupils

made in Dolonnuur, Inner Mongolia, decorated in Buryatia (Federation of Russia) 19th century

Black and white photograph of three-story temple with broad base, pagoda roofs, and ornate balustrades and finials

Kalachakra (Dechingalba) Temple in Yekhe Khüriye Monastery

Mongolia late 19th century

Mottled sepia textile featuring angled footprints standing astride deity seated upon lotus amid floral motifs

Karmapa with His Footprints

central Tibet late 12th–early 13th century

Monarch wearing pea-green robe and black headdress depicted sitting, holding scroll in right hand

King of Lijiang, Mu Zeng (1598–1646; r. 1598–1624/46), Official Portrait

Lijiang, China Qing dynasty (1644–1911)

Tall, cylindrical, mahogany-colored pitcher featuring diminutive spout and golden floral motifs covering vessel body

Lacquered Wood Duomu Pitcher with Gold Floral Designs

China 19th–20th century

Teacher dressed in orange robes and headdress seated at center of mountain landscape, surrounded by portraits

Lama (Teacher) Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594–1651)

Bhutan early 18th century

Lama seated on throne with vajra in left hand, suspended above mountainous landscape, surrounded by portraits

Lama Chogyur Lingpa (1829–1870)

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Monk wearing saffron and red robes, hands posed in mudras, seated on lotus pedestal surrounded by miniature portraits

Lama Zhang

Tangut Xixia 1032–1227

Wind instrument made from human leg bone; shaft covered in copper sheath, joint wrapped with natural material

Leg Bone Trumpet (Kang Ling)

Tibet 18th–19th century

Life Story of Buddha Shakyamuni

Tibet 19th century

Maitreya

Mongolia 1680s

Maitreya

Mongolia 1680s

Panoramic painting depicting hundreds of figures arranged in formation on dusty field under blue sky

Maitreya Procession in Yekhe Khüriye

1965

Rectangular textile depicting seated Bodhisattva surrounded by eight smaller deities against background of red and gold

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)

Brick-red mandala with lotus at center surrounded and supported by flayed body of figure holding his hair in his hands

Canopy of a Mahakala Yantra

Tibet 18th century

Sacred painting composed of geometric forms adorned with symbolic motifs; deep-red with accents in green, blue, yellow, and white

Mandala of the Buddhist Deity Chakrasamvara

Nepal dated 1490

Red-toned mandala featuring deity surrounded by multitude of deity portraits arranged in registers

Mandala of the Sun God Surya Surrounded by Eight Planetary Deities

Nepal likely 1379

Line drawing featuring Buddha at center surrounded by concentric rings and square frames decorated with symbols and figures

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

Painting depicting deity seated before ornate building, flanked by two framed sets of Chinese characters

Manjughosha Emperor, Niched hanging shrine panel, Eastern Side Hall, Pavilion of Raining Flowers

Three gilded Bodhisattva statuettes: one holds sword in left hand, one sits pensively, one holds vajra in left hand

Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara, and Vajrapani

Imperial Workshop, Nanjing or Beijing Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)

Colorful butter sculpture depicting Bodhisattva raising sword with left arm; holding right hand in mudra at chest

Manjushri, torma butter sculpture

Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014

Bird’s-eye view of settlement consisting of domed tents in enclosures and several large buildings

Map of Yekhe Khüriye

Mongolia 19th century

Map depicting two large settlements in circular formation and scattered smaller settlements near river system

Map of Yekhe Khüriye

Mongolia late 19th century

Figure seated before blue nimbus, flanked by attendants and animals, below three scenes depicted amongst clouds

Marpa Lotsawa (1012–1097)

Tibet 17th century

Painting mounted on brocade border depicting seated figure surrounded by small portraits against mountain landscape

Medical Lineage Holders, Painting 80 of the Tibetan Medical Paintings, Lhasa Set

Lhasa, central Tibet early 20th century

Sculpture depicting Yogi meditating in niche on side of green mountain with three snow-capped peaks

Milarepa (1040–1123) Meditating in a Mountain Kagyu Order

18th century

Glazed, milky-white porcelain pitcher with crown-shaped rim; handle features ovoid thumb rest

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)

Three-dimensional golden mandala in the form of palace situated atop four cylinders of decreasing diameter

Mount Meru Palace Mandala

Yachengar Monastery, Kham region, eastern Tibet (present-day Sichuan Province)

Monarch wearing brown robe seated on throne underneath depiction of deity supported by cloud

Mu Zeng as a Monk (木生白画像)

Xitansi Monastery, Chicken Foot Mountain, Yunnan Province, China 17th century

Two philosopher monks seated on water-bound platform underneath vaporous cloud leading to deity portrait

Nagarjuna and Aryadeva, after Situ’s set of The Six Ornaments and Two Excellent Ones

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Figure dressed in blue robe decorated with fearsome face leans toward white religious implement decorated with yarn lozenges

Namra Tseku, detail of thangka

Tibet

Painting depicting nine deities hovering in row above riders assembled on horseback in green landscape

Nine Deity Offering

Mongolia 19th century

Two scenes: at top, Buddha flanked by attendants; at bottom, figures in dynamic poses with text at top left

Nineteenth-Century Copy of the Paubha Commemorating the Death of Pandita Vanaratna (1384–1468)

Patan, Nepal 1862

Red-robed lama sits with hands posed in mudras in natural landscape amidst deities and attendants

Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1555–1603)

Central Tibet late 16th century

View from bottom of stupas positioned in long, ascending rows on tiers of gray brick structure

One Hundred and Eight Stupas arranged in a triangular shape on the hill

China period (1038–1227)

Three sculptures depicting seated figures situated in small green niche; middle figure adorned with prayer scarf

Padmasambhava Triad in Custom-Made Shrine

Ghami Palace, Mustang, Nepal 18th century

Painting in acid tones depicting white chaitya situated in mountain landscape surrounded by irregular grid of portraits

Painted Scroll of Bhimaratha Ritual

Hāku Bāhāḥ, Kathmandu, Nepal dated by inscription January 1830

Dusky painting depicting stupa structure against landscape and registers of scenes and deity portraits

Painted Scroll of Laksha Chaitya Ritual

Kathmandu, Nepal dated by inscription January 1808

Deity dances upon lotus pedestal, beneath deity portraits, while raising drum in left hand

Painting of Machik Labdron (1055–1153)

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Painting depicting bird’s-eye view of prominent palace, temples, and monasteries in green mountain valley

Painting of Temples and Monasteries of Lhasa

Kham region, eastern Tibet 1900–1920

Colorful butter sculpture depicting wrathful deity with blue skin and crown of skulls riding atop horse

Palden Lhamo, torma butter sculpture

Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014

Fearsome deity bearing crown of skulls standing before smoldering nimbus of flames surrounded by floating deity portraits

Panjarnatha Mahakala

Tibet 18th century

Beige, red, and green mural depicting various buildings and features of mountainous landscape; Chinese and Tibetan text at top

Panoramic Map of Mount Wutai

Cifu Temple, Wutaishan, China 1846

Beige and green mural depicting in fine detail various buildings and features of mountainous landscape

Panoramic View of Mount Wutai

Mogao Cave 61, Dunhuang, northwestern Gansu Province, China ca. 948

Gilded statuette of seated Bodhisattva with dramatically curved torso wearing elaborate crown and finely articulated accessories

Pensive Avalokiteshvara

Imperial Workshop, Nanjing or Beijing Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)

Pinkish-beige sculpture featuring almond-shaped nimbus with Bodhisattva inset; mounted on base and supported by two columns

Pensive Avalokiteshvara on the back of Maitreya Statue

Yecheng, Hebei Province 547

Enlightened teacher holds implement in hands at chest; flanked by attendants and surrounded by portrait border

Portrait of Vanaratna (1384–1468)

central Tibet 15th century

Lama seated on throne with orange cloud-motif backrest amidst portraits of Buddha, wrathful deities, and lamas

Sixth Panchen Lobzang Pelden Yeshe (1738–1780), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Monarch encircled by fluttering scarves sits in forecourt of magnificent building and addresses throng of people

Manjushriyashas (Jampel Drak), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Bearded philosopher sits on riverside porch and recoils from grey-skinned figure at right

Bhaviveka (Lekden Je, ca. 500–ca. 578), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Monk in brilliant orange robe with serpent at left shoulder gestures with left hand against menacing figures at left

Abhayakaragupta (Jigme Jungne Bapa, d. 1125), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Translator wearing sumptuous orange robe sits before pupils at their books beneath towering mountain range

Go Lotsawa Khukpa Lhetse (11th century), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Monk seated on blue throne extends right hand to grey-skinned figure at bottom right

Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen (1182–1251), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Disciple in tremulous saffron robe inclines head and extends right hand towards monstrous deity at right

Yungton Dorje Pel (1284–1365), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Lama wearing saffron patchwork robe, holding white prayer scarf, gazes at table adorned with implements and blossoms

[First Panchen] Khedrubje Gelek Pelzang (1385–1438), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Lama wearing resplendent saffron robe extends right hand in mudra towards wrathful deity at bottom right

[Second Panchen] Sonam Choklang (1439–1504), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Monk seated at bank of rushing river extends right hand to serpent deities swimming in water

Subhuti (Rabjor), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Lama seated on throne upholstered with red-and-gold brocade above two wrathful deities beneath three portraits

Fourth Panchen Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen (1567–1662), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Lama wearing pointed headdress sits before group of attendants beside riverbank in mountain landscape

[Third Panchen] Wensapa Lobzang Dondrub (1505–1566), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Lama enthroned outside of building complex on mountain spur, surrounded by deity and lama portraits

Fifth Panchen Lobzang Yeshe (1663–1737), one of thirteen thangkas copied from Nartang xylographic designs

Tibet 19th century

Astrological chart featuring circle surrounded by portraits in top half, circle surrounded by text and scenes in bottom half

Protective Astrological Chart

Tibet late 18th or early 19th century

At left, page featuring Chinese script; at right, three-quarter portrait of bearded man; framed and separated by yellow border

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)

Wrathful red- and pink-skinned deities stand locked in embrace atop prone figure and hooved animal before fiery nimbus

Raktayamari

Imperial Workshop, South China Ming Yongle period (r. 1403–1424)

Crowned Buddha seated on lotus throne, surrounded by attendants and deities arranged in registers

Ratnasambhava

central Tibet ca. mid-13th century

Beaded ritual garment in lattice pattern featuring belt with pointed oblong forms decorated with portraits

Ritual Bone Apron

Tibet/Nepal 18th–19th century

Photograph of faded image depicting deities painted on white material applied to face of craggy rock

Rock Painting (no longer extant)

Taktsang, Upper Paro Valley, western Bhutan ca. 14th–15th century

Form of a bird outlined in barely suggested rust-red pigment on rough white rock

Rock Painting of a Bird

Che Do, Lake Namtso, Tibet Protohistoric or Early Historic period (ca. 600–1000 CE)

Natural and symbolic motifs painted in red on weathered orange rock face

Rock paintings in red ocher of a conjoined sun and moon, two sunbursts, a tree, and two swastikas

Chukargyam, Rutok, Tibet Iron Age (ca. 700–100 BCE) or Protohistoric period (ca. 100–600 CE)

Black and white photograph of two-story building in Russian style; Onion dome atop structure at right

Russian Consulate and Holy Trinity Church

Yekhe Khüriye, Mongolia 1912

Monk plays stringed instrument while seated on throne featuring back- and armrests in the form of dragons

Saint Drukpa Kunley, great-grandfather of Desi Tenzin Rabgye

second floor, Desi Zimkhang, Tango Monastery 17th century (1688/90)

Watercolor in beige and black depicting enthroned Buddha holding hands in mudras at chest

Sarnath Buddha

India ca. 1940

Sarvavid Vairochana Mandala

Tibet 17th century

Richly colored deities in garden setting surrounded by various figures and scenes in miniature

Scenes from the Early Life of the Buddha

western Tibet or western Nepal 14th century

Seated Bodhisattva

China late 13th–14th century

Colorful butter sculpture depicting Lama seated between two writhing dragons underneath Buddha with blue skin

Second Jamyang Zhepa (1728–1791), torma butter sculpture

Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014

Orange leather saddle featuring gold filigree and turquoise decoration at pommel

Set of Saddle Plates

Tibet or China ca. 1400

Buddha in orange robe sits cross-legged on grisaille throne while flanked by two smaller men in patchwork robes

Shakyamuni Flanked by His Main Disciples

Lijiang, Yunnan Province 17th century

Colorful butter sculpture depicting Buddha seated underneath richly decorated canopy, flanked by attendants

Shakyamuni, torma butter sculpture

Labrang Monastery, Amdo region, eastern Tibet (Gansu Province, China) 2014

View through columns decorated with coiled dragons of deity statue seated before silver nimbus

Silver Juu (Tib. Jowo), Main Assembly Hall of Yekhe Juu

Höhhot, Inner Mongolia, China 1579

Lama seated before altar and attendants at bottom right; text against brown background at top left

Situ Panchen as Patron of The Wish-Granting Vine Series of One Hundred and Eight Morality Tales, twenty-third painting after Situ’s set

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Side view of cup featuring band of silver decoration depicting animals amongst floral motifs and line of skulls

Skull Cup with Base

Tibet 18th–20th century

Pair of hand- and footprints frame holy man seated against background featuring deity portraits and vegetation

Songtsen Gampo with Handprints and Footprints

Tibet late 17th century

Watercolor depicting two men washing themselves and woman carrying vessel on head, followed by infant

Spring Morning

India ca. 1940

Gilded statue depicting Bodhisattva wearing flowing skirt and elaborate accessories standing between two long-stemmed blossoms

Standing Bodhisattva with Yongle-period inscription in Chinese, Tibetan, and Sanskrit on the base

China 15th century, Yongle period (1403–1424)

Silver statue depicting seated, crowned Buddha holding small vase in hands positioned in lap

Statue of Amitayus, Dolonnuur style

19th century

Copper-colored statue depicting Bodhisattva raising sword with left arm, long-stemmed blossom at right shoulder

Statue of Manjushri

Efi (efü?) khalkha süme, Shiliin Gol League (formerly in Chakhar), Inner Mongolia mid-18th century

View from below of upper body of monumental golden Buddha before densely wrought open nimbus

Statue of Seated Vairochana, East Temple, Level 5 (Bumpa) of the Gyantse Kumbum

Gyantse Kumbum, Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1427–1440

Silver- and gold-colored statue depicting seated Guru; situated in ornately carved wooden cabinet

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

Gilded statuette of seated, four-armed Bodhisattva holding sword in leftmost hand and spiritual implements in others

Statue of the bodhisattva Manjushri with Yongle reign inscription in Chinese on the lotus base

China 15th century; Yongle reign (1402–1424)

Bronze-colored statue depicting seated Bodhisattva with elongated earlobes and fluttering sash at elbows

Statue of White Tara

Dolonnuur, Inner Mongolia 18th or 19th century

Relief carving depicting Buddha seated on lotus pedestal supported and enclosed by scrollwork motif

Stone relief on a wall of Qianlong’s underground tomb

Yuling 裕陵 Mausoleum, Eastern Tombs

Fragment of page featuring vertical lines of Mongolian script framed by black border on light brown paper

Subhasitaratnanidhi (Treasury of Good Sayings) Mongolian translation in phags pa (square script)

Khocho 13th–14th century

Tattered painting on textile depicting extravagant architectural structure covered in deity portraits amidst green landscape

Thangka of Kongpo Bonri, southeast Tibet, represented as the citadel of the tantric divinity

Tsochok Khagying, Nyingtri, Kongpo, Tibet 18th century?

Mural program featuring mandala above lintel and two fearsome deities before fiery nimbuses flanking doorway

The Akshobya Mandala and White and Blue Achala

Segoma Lhakhang, Zhalu Monastery; Tsang region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) 14th century

Sepia textile featuring two faint footprints interspersed with portraits of deities bearing orange nimbuses

The Buddha’s Footprints and Incarnations of Avalokiteshvara

Tibet 10–11th century

Painting in crimson-red and burnt orange depicting seated Buddha surrounded by profusion of scenes and figures arranged in five registers

The Eight Great Events of the Buddha’s Life

Tibet ca. 13th century

Two handprints and two footprints frame Dalai Lama seated above crowd of attendants and wrathful deity

The Fifth Dalai Lama, with Hand- and Footprints

Tibet late 17th century

Red line drawing depicting Buddha at center flanked by two attendants on either side before landscape

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

Mixed media artwork composed of photograph of Lama superimposed onto painting featuring deity portraits and landscape

The Ninth Panchen Lama

hanging on a pillar in Lhakhang, Lukhil Monastery, Likir Village, Ladakh, India

Black and white photograph of destroyed military building with human bodies lying amidst rubble

The North Fort at Taku, China, 1860

North Fort at Taku, China 1860

Painting depicting hilltop palace surrounded by prominent building complexes and settlements situated in green landscape

The Potala and the Principal Monuments of Central Tibet

Tibet 19th century

Buddha seated in meditation amidst landscape replete with buildings, vegetation, and figures enacting various scenes

The Previous Lives of Buddha Shakyamuni

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Mountainous landscape featuring multiple scenes and buildings nestled within valleys and on riverbanks

The Wish-Granting Vine Series of One Hundred and Eight Morality Tales, twenty-first painting after Situ’s set

Kham region, eastern Tibet 19th century

Profusely decorated, brightly colored mandala featuring portraits in roundels and in arches at top and bottom

Thirteen-Deity Mandala of Jnanadakini

central Tibet 1375–1380

Painting, mounted on blue brocade featuring dragon motif, depicting lama seated before attendants in mountain landscape

Thirteenth Karmapa, Dudul Dorje (1733–1797), from a Pelpung set of Masters of the Combined Kagyu Lineages

Kham region, eastern Tibet ca. 1760s

Long, wide embroidered textile in greens and reds mounted on green and gold brocade border

Thirty-Five Buddhas of Confession

Mongolia ca. 1914

Mandala in jewel tones featuring richly ornamented green field between inner square and outer circles

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

Three Saddle Carpets, from a set of twenty-four woven in the 1930s for the cavalry of Yabzhi Punkhang

Central Tibet 1920–1930

Painting mounted on green and gold damask depicting Buddha surrounded by full-body nimbus and crowd of attendants

Turning the Wheel of the Dharma, eighth painting from a set of nine depicting the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha

Tibet 17th century

Two oblong silver stirrups featuring details and decoration in gold; footbeds pierced with small holes

Two Stirrups

Mongolian 16th–17th century

Illustration depicting six rows of bowls containing differently colored liquids above three circular, multi-colored diagrams

Urine Analysis, Painting 64 of the Tibetan Medical Paintings, Ulan Ude Set

Lhasa, central Tibet early 20th-century copy of original from ca. 1687–1697

Golden Buddha dressed in green, saffron, and red cape seated between altar and colorful mandorla

Vairochana

Chokhor or Konchosum Lhakhang, Bumthang, Bhutan date unknown

Seated Buddha with halo and mandorla carved into orange-brown sedimentary rock

Vairochana

Drak Lhamo

Wide view of monumental stone relief carved into excavated base of large rock

Vairochana and the Eight Bodhisattvas

Markham, Tibet (present-day TAR, China)

View from below of monumental Buddha seated in cross-legged position with photograph in lap

Vairochana of the Glacier Lake

Jowo chapel, Jokhang Temple; Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China)

Buddha and female companion seated on double lotus throne, surrounded by deities in red nimbuses

Vajradhara and Consort

Nepal 1488

Four portraits arranged in square depicting figures seated on lotus pedestals with nimbuses of red and gold

Vajradhara, Nairatmya, and Mahasiddhas Virupa and Kanha

central Tibet ca. 1450

Mandala featuring yellow, red, green, and blue quadrants; arched registers at top and bottom feature miniature seated figures

Vajradhatu (Diamond Realm) Mandala

central Tibet 14th century

Wrathful deity wearing tiger pelt at waist stands with vajra held in raised left arm

Vajrapani

Mongolia late 19th century

Sacred composition of concentric circles and squares featuring deity at center surrounded by multitude of figures and symbols

Vasudhara Mandala

Nepal dated 1777 (Samvat 897)

Victory over Mara

Mongolia? 19th century

Photograph of hilltop temple featuring red central structure and white outer structure above smaller white buildings

View of Putuo Zongcheng Temple

Chengde, China 1767–1771

Gilded statuette of figure wearing dhoti seated on lotus pedestal with right arm and knee raised

Virupa

China Yongle period (1402–1424)

Abraded mural depicting seated figure on right facing smaller figure within fireball on left

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

Line drawing in red depicting wheel divided into multiple scenes held in teeth by wrathful deity

Wheel of Existence

Tashicholing Temple, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 20th or 21st century

Wrathful deity locked in embrace with consort above mountain landscape surrounded by six deity portraits

White Chakrasamvara, from Situ’s set of The Twenty-Seven Tantric Deities

Kham region, eastern Tibet ca. 18th century

Full view sepia photograph of tall white stupa against background of gently sloping mountains

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

Mixed media piece in gray depicting 12-paned window with outline of scarf in white at top

Window No. 1

Tolung, Lhasa 2020

Rectangular ink-stained woodblock incised with dense text and image; lozenge-shaped handle at top

Woodblock for Printing Prayer Flags with Print

Himalayan region 15th–19th century

Wide view of gray stone building featuring square base with repeated horizontal moldings and multiple pagodas on roof

Wutasi, the Five Pagoda Temple

Höhhot, Inner Mongolia 1732

Stone gateway topped with white stupa; situated between grey-brick buildings at end of narrow street

Xijindu Stupa Gate

Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province dated 1311

Three-dimensional mandala in the form of golden pagoda-roofed palace decorated with colorful inset stones

Yamantaka Palace Mandala

Potala Palace, Lolang Lhakhang, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet 1751

Lama wearing saffron robe enthroned amidst green mountain landscape, surrounded by deity and lama portraits

Zhabdrung Rinpoche Ngawang Namgyel (1594–1651?)

second-floor hallway, Tango Monastery 17th century (1688/90)

View through trees of building featuring three tapered towers and smaller central tower with conical roof

Zhenjue Temple, the Five Pagoda Temple

Beijing, China 1473

Three-dimensional polychrome mandala in the form of golden architectural structure topped with stupa

Zhitro Mandala

2000

Painting in purples and blues depicting jagged mountain spur in foreground and snowcapped peak in background

对面的山 [Opposing Mountains], 1986

Black panel featuring inscription in Tibetan, Chinese, and Sanskrit; supported by polycrome gilt frame and stone base

"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