Wheel of Existence

Rectangular tea-brown page featuring Tibetan text flanked by printed portraits of wrathful deities

Four-armed Mahakala, left, and Remati, right

Ron Wosel Puk, Tibet 1538

Pema Gyelpo, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava

Eastern Tibet early 20th century

Stirrups belonging to the equestrian set of Yuthok Tashi Dhondup

Tibetan, Derge ca. 1943–1947

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

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

Crossed Vajra

Tibet 20th 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

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

Woodblock for printing prayer flag

Himalayan region ca. 19th–early 20th century

Silver religious implement with turquoise accents; ball and chain attached to rotating cylinder mounted on wooden handle

Handheld Prayer Wheel

Central Tibet early 20th 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

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

Black and white print depicting woman clasping tree branch under cloud-filled sky amidst buildings and garden

Buddha’s Birth, from a set of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha, Print from a woodblock

Derge Printing House, Kham region, eastern Tibet after 1960

Colorful painting depicting woman clasping tree branch under cloud-filled sky amidst buildings and garden

Birth of the Buddha, from a set of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha, after a carved woodblock

Tibet 20th century

The Stages of Nepalese Lost-Wax Metal Casting

Nepal 2022

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

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

Shrine Cabinet (chosham)

Tibet second half of 20th century

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

Pelden Lhamo

Mongolia late 17th century

Pencil drawing depicting two building complexes situated on peak and spur of mountain outcropping

Chakpori Medical College

Tibet 1905

Line drawing in ink depicting central circle inscribed with text framed by two figures; One upside down, one right-side up

Demon-Binding Against Sickness

Dolpo region, western Nepal ca. 1975

Monochrome woodblock print depicting seated regent gazing below at attendants, surrounded above by deity portraits

Desi Sanggye Gyatso (1653–1705)

Tibet 17th 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

Mural in photorealistic style depicting Lama seated on ornate golden throne above group of lamas and deities

Detail of Mural of Fourteenth Dalai Lama Receiving International Dignitaries

Norbulingka, Lhasa, Tibet 1956

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

27 golden Buddha statues, turned away from viewer, mounted in six rows with backsides protruding from blue wall

Do What You Love

2010

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

Rectangular tea-brown page featuring Tibetan text flanked by illuminations; edges of page frayed and worn

First Folio from The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, and detail with Milarepa

Lende Lang Puk 1540

Rectangular tea-brown page featuring Tibetan text and illumination at left; fragments missing from right side

First Folio from The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, and detail with Milarepa; Drakkar Taso; 1550–1555; xylographic print on paper; folio 4-1/8 x 20 in. (10.5 x 51 cm); British Library, OPB 19999a3

Drakkar Taso 1550–1555

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

Black and white portrait photograph of man wearing wire frame glasses and jacket with high collar

Gendun Chopel (Tibetan, 1903–1951)

India 1935

Black and white photograph of man in wide-brimmed fur hat riding horse with ornamented headdress

George Tsarong in Yasor Costume, 1950

1950

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

Two pencil drawings: at top, man walks on all fours toward base of deity statue; At bottom, man lies supine upon bed of nails

Going on Pilgrimage on All Fours and An Ascetic Sleeping on the Points of a Thousand Wooden Spikes

India ca. 1940

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

Black and white photograph of six officials riding on horseback up dusty hillside path

Group of Officials Riding Up to the Potala for New Year Festivities (named persons: Taring Jigme, Yuthok)

February 13, 1937

Glass cylinder featuring three stone-decorated bands mounted on spindle; green jade handle at right

Handheld Prayer Wheel

Tibet 19th–20th century

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

Photograph of t-shirt-shaped objects mounted on poles at shore of body of water before mountain range

Installation work in the exhibition Keepers of the Water

Lhasa 1996

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

Black and white photograph of man wearing embroidered robe holding camera up to eyes beside monks seated at left

Jigme Taring, Tibetan noblemen and official, holding cine camera with still camera hanging at his side

Lhasa possibly 1958

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 mule with elaborately decorated harness, head ornaments, string of bells at neck, and saddle carpet

Kala, Maultier des Postreiters (Kala, mule of the post rider)

Tibet 1938 or 1939

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

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

Black and white photograph of four people, one with umbrella, gathering around camera on tripod

Lhasa Newars with Camera

Lhasa 1940s

Black and white photograph of people inspecting collection of wool bales floating on water at shoreline

Lhasa, der Wollhafen mit Details (Lhasa, wool port with details)

Lhasa 1938 or 1939

Armored men mounted on horseback, carrying spears and standards, assemble at base of mountain range

Lhasa, die große Neujahrsparade (Lhasa, the great New Year’s parade)

Lhasa 1938 or 1939

Line drawing in ink depicting central circle inscribed with text superimposed atop boar with bristling fur

Livestock Charm

primarily Dolpo region, Nepal since 1975

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

Mandala mounted on blue and gold textile border featuring deity portraits at bottom and background landscape

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

Inner Mongolia or Beijing ca. 18th century

Man stands behind religious implement in the form of tiered building decorated with red beads

Manip displaying tashi gomang during Buddhist festival

Punakha, Bhutan 1981

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

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

Black and white photograph of monks carrying parasols, billowing in wind, at base of hilltop palace

Monks on the “Golden Procession”

Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet ca. 1936–1950

Mural depicting wrathful deity with red skin wearing animal and human pelts, standing before flames

Mural of Hayagriva

Assembly Hall, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

Mural depicting seated Guru wearing resplendent robes in blue, saffron patchwork, and red-and-gold brocade

Mural of Padmasambhava

Assembly Hall, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

Mural depicting oracle outlined in flames wearing gold headdress, red and gold robe, and cascading ribbons

Mural of the Nechung Oracle Shakya Yarpel (fl. 1856–1900)

Assembly Hall, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

Mural depicting blue-skinned wrathful deity and his consort locked in embrace; both wear skull crowns

Mural of Yamantaka, one of the Eight Sadhana Teaching Deities

Assembly Hall, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

Mural depicting serpents and three flayed human skins painted to appear to hang from blue timber rafters

Murals of Human Skins

Courtyard, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

Mural depicting fearsome deity and attendants outlined in flames traveling through green landscape

Murals of Pehar’s Retinue

Courtyard, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

Monumental porch featuring blue timbered ceiling and red columns covering two large murals flanking ornate portal

Murals of the Red and Black Butchers

Western Entrance, Nechung Monastery, Lhasa, U region, central Tibet (present-day TAR, China) ca. 1900, restored ca. 1996

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

Nine Deity Offering

Mongolia 19th century

Red-colored religious implement in the form of tiered building with doors opened to reveal dozens of smaller doors opened to reveal portraits

Open tashi gomang

Thimphu, Bhutan 19th–20th 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

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

Side-by-side photographs in medium and close view of elaborate cabinet containing crowned bust of Buddha

Photograph of the pre-Cultural Revolution Jowo Sakyamuni

1954 or 1955

Mother, father, and son, all dressed in sumptuous brocades, pose for photograph in grove of trees

Phunkhang Yabshi Kung, his wife and son

Tibet 1948

Black and white photograph of man wearing dark jacket and patterned dhoti standing beside building

Rabden Lepcha in Delhi

ca. 1915

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

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

Sarnath Buddha

India ca. 1940

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

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

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

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

Spring Morning

India ca. 1940

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

Colossal statue depicting golden Buddha seated atop plinth; situated on hilltop before clouded mountainside

Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha

Ravangla, Sikkim, India 2013

View from below of colossal Buddha statue seated atop colorful, magnificently decorated plinth

Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha

Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India 2015

Colossal golden Buddha statue seated atop golden plinth, surrounded by terrace decorated with deity statues

Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha (Buddha Dordenma)

Thimphu, Bhutan 2015

Colossal statue depicting Hindu deity towers above elaborately decorated gold and white entrance to plinth

Statue of Shiva

Solophok Hill, Namchi, Sikkim, India 2011

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

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