Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist Art

Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist art belongs to the Vajrayāna, the esoteric Buddhism of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and Mongolia. It shares roots with Japanese mikkyō, and many of its deities, mandalas and ritual implements have close Japanese cousins, but its style is entirely its own: brilliant gilding, intense colour and an immense pantheon.

Forms

  • Gilt copper and bronze figures. Cast or hammered, gilded, with faces painted in cold gold and hair in blue. Newar craftsmen of the Kathmandu valley were the great masters.
  • Thangka. Painted scrolls on cotton, mounted in silk, showing deities, mandalas and teachers.
  • Ritual implements. The dorje and drilbu, vajra and bell, related to the Japanese kongōsho and kongōrei.

Deities to know

  • Avalokiteśvara. Compassion, in four-armed and thousand-armed forms; the Japanese Kannon.
  • Tārā. Green and White Tārā, saviour goddesses.
  • Mañjuśrī. Wisdom with a flaming sword; the Japanese Monju.
  • Mahākāla and Yamāntaka. Wrathful protectors, related to Japan's Daikoku and Daiitoku.
  • Padmasambhava and Tsongkhapa. Great teachers of Tibetan Buddhism.

Sino-Tibetan art

The Ming and Qing courts of China commissioned Tibetan-style gilt bronzes of exceptional quality, and Sino-Tibetan figures are a major field. Many reached Japan through trade and diplomacy.

Collecting notes

  • Consecrated figures were sealed with relics and prayers inside a base plate. An intact seal is a sign of an unaltered piece.
  • Judge gilding, casting and the quality of the face. Later copies and modern Nepalese work are common.
  • Provenance and export history should be documented. See The Ethics of Collecting Sacred Art.

In the collection

Search the collection for Tibetan and Sino-Tibetan pieces or browse the Buddhist Statues and Sacred Art collection. Our collector concierge can search Japan for Himalayan works.

See also

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