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

Louise Tythacott, Chiara Bellini

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    4 Citations (Scopus)
    42 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    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.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number106
    JournalReligions
    Volume11
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 27 Feb 2020

    Keywords

    • Buddhist art
    • Display
    • Museum
    • Religious images
    • Tibetan Buddhism

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Deity and Display: Meanings, Transformations, and Exhibitions of Tibetan Buddhist Objects'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this