Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure

This sweeping survey of the artistic achievements of Himalayan culture is the first major exhibition to include objects from all the major religions of the region. Created to accompany the landmark art exhibition that will include almost two hundred of the finest works of art created between the sixth and nineteenth centuries in India, Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, this book explores the particular beauty that evolved from the spiritual traditions unique to the Himalayas. Lavishly illustrated with many rarely seen images, Himalayas conveys the spiritual aspirations of those who defied the physical hardships of an arduous mountain terrain to express their soaring creative spirit. Currently held in private and public collections in North America and Europe, seventy percent of this art has never been published or publicly exhibited. The works include temple sculptures of stone and wood; works in terracotta; cast bronzes with inlaid gemstones, gilding, and paint; colorful paintings—from reverential portraits to depictions of awe-inspiring deities—on cloth, palm leaf, paper, and wood; and ritual objects in various media. Pratapaditya Pal provides a fascinating description of the cultural milieu in which these works of art were created. Copublished with the Art Institute of Chicago

Arts & Photography

Amy Heller

Gautama V. Vajracharya

Pratapaditya-Pal.

History & Criticism

University of California Press

In 1999, a hidden library was found in the Nesar Temple at a remote village of Bicher in Dolpo, Nepal. It contains more than six hundred volumes of Tibetan manuscripts, ranging in date from the late 11th to the early 16th century. This library in many ways constitutes a cultural history of Dolpo in this period thanks to some sixty volumes with historical prefaces explaining the commission of the manuscripts for the Nesar Temple, while more than one hundred other volumes have illuminations of the scenes of the life of the Buddha and episodes from the Prajñ p ramit (Perfection of Wisdom) texts. These illuminations inform us about the donors, their costumes, their Buddhist rituals while the dedications tell us about the systems of patronage and donation. Some illuminations reflect the ancient manuscripts of Tabo and Tholing, others reflect the sophisticated Newar aesthetic of Kathmandu and all these diverse tendencies reached Dolpo where they were appreciated. By studying these texts within and examining the styles of the manuscript illuminations, Amy Heller was able to shed light on the history of this remote Tibetan enclave, the spread of Buddhism in the Himalayas and its artistic legacy. The manuscripts, sculptures and mural paintings discovered in Dolpo are the concrete expression of the complex economic, political, artistic and religious interactions between the people of Dolpo and their neighbors in India, Nepal and Tibet. In addition to the illuminations selected for publication, the reader will find a complimentary DVD that includes photographs of all volumes with dedications and other illuminations and historical documents preciously conserved in the Bicher village. A combination of Amy Heller s fine contributions, beautifully illustrated photographs, and a useful and accessible DVD makes this volume an important addition to the library of every scholar, collector and academic institution with an interest in Himalayan studies.

Hidden Treasures of the Himalayas: Tibetan Manuscripts, Paintings and Sculptures of Dolpo

Serindia Publications

Recent archaeological discoveries and scientific research especially focussed on western Tibet and the western Himalayas have resulted in a remarkable redefinition of the historical and cultural processes of the entire Indo-Tibetan civilisation. The present volume reflects these sometimes startling new insights for the first time, covering the wide time range from the Zhang zhung period up to the 20th century, spanning secular, religious and economic history, as well as art and archaeology.

Discoveries in Western Tibet and the Western Himalayas

Politics & Social Sciences

A. (ed.)

G. (ed.)

Orofino

Social Sciences

Brill Academic Pub

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Books by Amy Heller