Himalayan Art
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Recent papers in Himalayan Art
The concept of Original Artistic Intent is difficult to apply to Tibetan thangkas. Thangkas are composite objects produced by painters and tailors with differing intents, skills and training. Iconographic specifications, regional and... more
This article focuses on a specific iconography of the dGe lugs pa school. This iconography is known by the name of tshogs zhing (a spiritual field for the accumulation of merits), here analyzed in its 18 th century form. The images... more
Introduction In 1631, the Jesuit missionary Francisco de Azevedo, one of the very first Westerners to enter Ladakh, visited Hanle, in the remote highlands of Chang-thang. Whereas currently Hanle is restricted to foreigners due to its... more
Le chamane est un guérisseur et un guerrier. Lors des séances de cures, il s’applique pour le bien de sa com- munauté à renverser l’emprise des entités malfaisantes sur les humains, afin de rétablir la protection du groupe. Pour ce faire,... more
For initiated viewers, the murals, thangkas and sculptures visible in Vajrayana Buddhist temples and shrines illustrate key rituals, deities, and lineage masters that provide important supports to practice. Yet often these objects carry... more
This paper analyses the values and uses of Tibetan sacred artefacts in their original contexts as well as the transformation of meanings once placed in museums. It discusses the perception of statues, paintings, ritual instruments and... more
The medieval arts and history of western Nepal remain poor relatives of Himalayan studies. In 1994, Ian Alsop published in this magazine the first study ever dedicated to the metal sculptures of the Khasa Malla kingdom (Alsop, 1994). His... more
Introduction Le Musée tibétain fondé par Alain Bordier se trouve dans la petite ville romande de Gruyères réputée pour son caractère médiéval. Il abrite une importante collection de sculptures, peintures et objets rituels bouddhistes... more
Here I investigate Drukpa Kagyu (’Brug pa bKa’ brgyud) and Bhutanese ('Brug yul) painting, summarizing my preliminary findings on history and iconography. It appeared in a book edited by J. Ardussi and Sonam Tobgay that was published in... more
The Kukri knife, also written as Khukuri, Khukri, Khookree, Kookeri, Kukoori, Koorkerie, Kookery, Kukery, Koukoori, Khokreis, Cookri, Gurkha Knife and other variations, takes its name from the Nepali word "खुकुरी" . This dagger-knife is... more
Heimbel, Jörg. 2019. The Ngor Branch Monastery of Go mig (sTeng rgyud) in Spiti: Its Foundation and Place Within the Religious History of Western Tibet. In Dieter Schuh and Jörg Heimbel, Beiträge zur politischen Geschichte von Spiti... more
Introduction The Tibet Museum founded by Alain Bordier is located in the small Swiss town of Gruyères, famous for its medieval character. The Tibet Museum houses an important collection of Buddhist sculptures and paintings in addition to... more
Le Ladakh constitue la plus vaste, la plus élevée et la plus occidentale des régions naturelles de l’Himalaya. Bien que politiquement rattachée à l’état indien du Jammu et Cachemire, elle est géographiquement située aux confins de l’Asie... more
ABSTRACT: This project investigates the materials and techniques used by Tibetan artists. Six Tibetan thangkas were analyzed by infrared reflectography, energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy,... more
The diminutive rock-cut temple at Thal was first reported in 1916, and later described briefly in 1975. So far, there has been no detailed description or drawings published, for the same. In this paper, we describe this small, but... more
Objet de l'étude : Etude et conservation d'une peinture de culte tibétain Sujet technico-scientifique : Suivi colorimétrique des modifications optiques induites par la nébulisation d'un adhésif collagénique sur une couche picturale non... more
The focus of this article is firstly to examine some aspects of the Kukri (Khukuri) in relation to Col. Kirkpatrick´s mission to Nepal (Nepaul) in 1793. In doing this I´ll attempt to place it in a historical context and briefly discuss... more
This paper presents recent research on one thangka from the National Museum of Bhutan collection, depicting the theme of Zhabdrung Phunsum Tshogpa (zhabs drung phun sum tshogs pa), or ‘submitting [oneself] to the one with perfect... more
Article appeared in E. Lo Bue ed., a special art history issue of the Tibet Journal, vol. 27 (2002). This article documents the life of Nyurla Yeshe Jamyang (Ye shes 'jam dbyangs) of Ladakh, who in the 1980s was one of the last... more
16th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Prague, 3-9 July 2022
Le Ladakh constitue la plus vaste, la plus élevée et la plus occidentale des régions naturelles de l’Himalaya. Bien que politiquement rattachée à l’état indien du Jammu et Cachemire, elle est géographiquement située aux confins de l’Asie... more
... Rock art research in Murgi Tokpo, Nubra valley in Ladakh. Laurianne Bruneau 1 , Quentin Devers 2 , Martin Vernier. (2011). ... oai:halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr:halshs-00747733. Contributeur :Laurianne Bruneau <>. Soumis... more
Einführung Das von Alain Bordier gegründete Tibet- Museum befindet sich im westschweizerischen Städtchen Gruyères, das für seinen mittelalterlichen Charakter berühmt ist. Das Tibet- Museum beherbergt eine wichtige Sammlung... more
Rob Linrothe. 2019. Review: Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism by Karl Debreczeny. Asian Highlands Perspectives 58:451-470. The aims of the spectacular Faith and Empire exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art and its... more
Vestiges of a prehistoric megalithic culture have been reported from Devidhura, near Almora in the Kumaon Himalaya, in 1856, and subsequently. We visited Devidhura in December 2019, to study the reported megalithic remains. We have found... more
Le Ladakh constitue la plus vaste, la plus élevée et la plus occidentale des régions naturelles de l’Himalaya. Bien que politiquement rattachée à l’état indien du Jammu et Cachemire, elle est géographiquement située aux confins de l’Asie... more
Heimbel, Jörg. 2021. “Portraits of the Great Abbots of Ngor: The Memorial or Death Anniversary Thangka (dus thang).” In Caumanns, Volker, Jörg Heimbel, Kazuo Kano and Alexander Schiller (eds.). Gateways to Tibetan Studies: A Collection of... more
Collection of Buddhist Sculptures in the Jokhang Temple Taking photographs of objects inside Tibetan monasteries is very difficult if not outright impossible. In most monasteries access is restricted as a result of security measures... more