Deity and Display: Meanings, Transformations, and Exhibitions of Tibetan Buddhist Objects

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Main author: Tythacott, Louise
Other authors: Bellini, Chiara
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-34569
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description 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 books from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, examining the iconographic and iconometric functions of the images, and asserting that a primary purpose is as a ‘support for practice’ (tib. sku rten, ‘body-support’). Sacred images represent the embodiment of the Buddhas, deities and masters and, once consecrated by lamas, are considered to have the power to confer blessings. Despite the instrumental function of such artefacts, however, it is also possible to identify and delineate a complex Himalayan concept of aesthetics. The text moves on to analyse the effects of the transition of Tibetan Buddhist images into different museological contexts, comparing the display of Tibetan material in the consecrated spaces of Himalayan monastery museums with their exhibition in secular museological sites in the West.
format Journal Article
author Tythacott, Louise
author_facet Tythacott, Louise
Bellini, Chiara
authorStr Tythacott, Louise
author_letter Tythacott, Louise
author2 Bellini, Chiara
author2Str Bellini, Chiara
title Deity and Display: Meanings, Transformations, and Exhibitions of Tibetan Buddhist Objects
publisher MDPI
publishDate 2020
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/34569/

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