The Book

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the story of Himalayan art is illuminated through a selection of significant objects and sites from the Neolithic era to today. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, textiles, architectural structures, and more serve as a guide to the historical traditions, rituals, social practices, and art forms from Tibetan, Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Mongolian, and Chinese regions, emphasizing cross-cultural exchange with Tibet at the center and Buddhism as the thread that connects these diverse cultural regions. Photographs and essays bring each object to life, introducing readers to the diversity and uniqueness of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and practices, while highlighting the importance of the region in understanding broader Asia. Authored by an international group of scholars from different fields and disciplines, these 108 object essays offer an accessible introduction to this rich yet underrepresented field. This publication is part of the Rubin Museum’s Project Himalayan Art, an initiative to cultivate resources for teaching and learning about Himalayan art and cultures.

To purchase Himalayan Art in 108 Objects, visit the Rubin Museum’s site.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Introduction

Himalayan Art and Cross-Cultural Exchange

Karl Debreczeny and Elena Pakhoutova

Ancient (up to 6th Century)

Early Himalayan Rock Art

Alchi Petroglyph Field
John Vincent Bellezza

A Window onto Early Himalayan Artistic and Mortuary Practices

Gold Burial Mask with Engraved Figures
John Vincent Bellezza

The Birth of the Buddha

Mayadevi Giving Birth to Siddhartha
Ulrich von Schroeder

Shrines as the Focal Point of Buddhist Communities

The Svayambhu Chaitya of Kathmandu
Alexander von Rospatt

Residence of the Early Tibetan Kings and Sacred Shrine

Yumbu Lagang Castle
Guntram Hazod

7th–9th Century

Seasonal Travels of the Valley God

Bunga Dya (Bunga Lokeshvara, Karunamaya, Rato Macchendranath)
Ian Alsop

Tibet’s Most Sacred Temple

Jokhang Temple, Lhasa
Amy Heller

The Most Famous Religious Object in Tibet

Jowo Shakyamuni of the Rasa Trulnang Tsuklakhang (Jokhang Temple)
The Most Famous Religious Object in Tibet
Cameron David Warner

The Earliest Grand Buddhist Clay Sculpture in Bhutan and the Bhutanese Tradition of Clay Sculpting

Maitreya Statue at Jampa Lhakhang, Bhutan
Karma Phuntsho, Ariana Maki, and Elena Pakhoutova

The Distinct Artistic Tradition of Kashmir and Its Impact in Tibet

Buddha on the Cosmic Mountain
Christian Luczanits

Intertwined Religious Culture: Buddhism and Hinduism

Bodhisattva Bhaishajyaraja, the Healing King
Luca Maria Olivieri and Anna Filigenzi

Buddhist Painting in Greater Kashmir: An Early Inspiration for Tibet?

Painted Manuscript Cover
Rob Linrothe

Vairochana and the Eight Great Bodhisattvas Represented as the Tibetan Sovereign and His Courtiers

Imperial Carvings of Vairochana
Amy Heller

Tibetan Visual Models on the Silk Road

Bhaishajyaguru, the Buddha of Healing
Amy Heller

Ceremonial Banquet Vessels in Silver and Gold

Silver Jug
Amy Heller

10th–11th Century

Intriguing Relations between India, China, and Tibet

Crowned Buddha
Christian Luczanits

Kashmiri “Loving-Kindness” in Ladakh: A Tall Order?

Rock Caving of Four-Armed Bodhisattva Maitreya
Rob Linrothe

Divine Kingship in Nepal Mandala

Vishnu Riding on Garuda
Kerry Lucinda Brown

Kashmiri Aesthetics at the Royal Monastery in Western Tibet

Stupa at Toling Monastery
Amy Heller

Kashmir’s Visual Legacy in the Western Himalayas

Avalokiteshvara at Khatse
Rob Linrothe

The Iconographic Program of a Mid-Eleventh Century Monument

Goddess Dharmameghabhumi in the Tabo Main Temple
Christian Luczanits

In the Presence of the Buddha

Central Shrine Image of Kwa Baha (Hiranyavarna Mahavihara)
Kerry Lucinda Brown

Embodying the Words of the Buddha

Illuminated Pages of the Prajnaparamita Sutra Manuscript
Elena Pakhoutova and Agnieszka Helman-Wazny

A Marvel of Newar Woodworking

Torana of the Main Shrine at Yetakha Baha
Kashinath Tamot and Ian Alsop

Representing the Sacred Site of the Buddha’s Awakening

Mahabodhi Temple Model
Elena Pakhoutova

Cosmopolitanism in a Local Tibetan Environment

Maitreya and Manjushri Mural at Dratang
Roberto Vitali

On the Origins and History of an Early Tibetan Masterwork

Tara Who Protects from the Eight Great Fears
Jane Casey

Mass Production of Images as a Ritual Practice

Molded Clay Image (Tsatsa) of Amoghapasha
Kunsang Namgyal-Lama

12th Century

The Art of Transgression and Transformation

Chakrasamvara Mandala with Newar Donors
Jinah Kim

The Commemorative Stupas of the Lang/Pakmodrupa Dynasty

Densatil Monastery
Jean-Luc Estournel

Tangut Patrons’ Embrace of Buddhist Sacred Sites and Cosmopolitan Teachings

Cave 3 at Yulin Cave Temples
Elena Pakhoutova and Jia Weiwei

Woodblock Printing and State Protection in the Inclusive Buddhist Culture of the Tanguts

A Pancharaksha Print from Khara-Khoto
Kirill Solonin and Elena Pakhoutova

Presence and Power

Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the Buddha’s Footprints
Kathryn Selig Brown

Material and Spiritual Abundance in the Kathmandu Valley

Goddess of Prosperity, Vasudhara
Kerry Lucinda Brown

Introduction

Ancient (up to 6th Century)

7th–9th Century

10th–11th Century

12th Century

13th Century

14th Century

15th Century

16th Century

17th Century

18th Century

19th Century

20th–21st Century