Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet at The Met Fifth Avenue

 

Mahakala, Protector of the Tent
ca. 1500
Central Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Zimmerman Family Collection, Gift of the Zimmerman Family, 2012
2012.444.4
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 
 
 

Mandalas

Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet

Through January 12, 2025

 
 

A mandala is a diagram of the universe—a map of true reality that in Tibet is used to conceptualize a rapid path to enlightenment. This exhibition explores the imagery of the Himalayan Buddhist devotional art through over 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles, instruments, and an array of ritual objects, mostly dating between the 12th and 15th centuries. This dazzling visual experience provides a roadmap for understanding Himalayan Buddhist worship through early masterworks, juxtaposed with a newly commissioned contemporary installation by Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol.

The exhibition is made possible by the Placido Arango Fund and Lilly Endowment Inc. Additional support is provided by the Florence and Herbert Irving Fund for Asian Art Exhibitions and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhibition Highlights

 

Pair of Manuscript Covers, Each with Five Deities
ca. late 11th century
Tibet
Distemper and gilt on wood
Gift of Jeffrey Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 2020
2020.290a, b
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Achala with His Consort Vishvavajri
Malla period
1525–50
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Distemper on cloth
Zimmerman Family Collection, Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2012
2012.456
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sword (Ral gri)
14th–16th century
Tibetan or Chinese
Iron, steel, gold, silver
Purchase, Rogers Fund and Fletcher Fund, by exchange, 1995
1995.136
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Chakrasamvara with His Consort Vajravarahi
Sakya Order
1450–1500
Central Tibet
Distemper on cotton
Zimmerman Family Collection, Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation and the Zimmerman Family Gifts, 2017
2017.371
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Bodhisattva Manjushri as a Ferocious Destroyer of Ignorance
Thakuri period
10th century
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Gilt-copper alloy with color and gold paint
Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick, Dodge and Fletcher Funds, and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1982
1982.220.13
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Vajra Flaying Knife
ca. 15th century
Eastern Tibet, Derge
Steel with gold and silver inlays
Gift of Alexander Polsky, 1985
1985.397
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Vaishravana, Guardian of Buddhism and Protector of Riches
15th century
Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2021
2021.290
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Chakrasamvara Mandala
Thakuri–early Malla periods
ca. 1100
Nepal
Distemper on cloth
Rogers Fund, 1995
1995.233
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

唐 鎏金青銅金剛杵
Vajra with Angry Heads and Makara Prongs
Tang dynasty (618–907)
China
Gilt bronze
Charlotte C. and John C. Weber Collection, Gift of Charlotte C. and John C. Weber, 1994
1994.605.43
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Leaves from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Mahavihara Master
Pala period
Early 12th century
India, West Bengal or Bangladesh
Opaque watercolor, black carbon-based ink, and mineral- and vegetable-based pigments on palm leaf
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001
2001.445c
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cover for an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Thakuri-Malla periods
10th–11th century
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Ink and color on wood, with metal insets
Gift of John and Evelyn Kossak, The Kronos Collections and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Findlay, 1979
1979.511
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Vajracharya Priest’s Crown
Early Malla period
13th–early 14th century
Nepal
Gilt copper alloy with semiprecious stones, lapis lazuli, and turquoise inlays
Gift of Barbara and David Kipper, 2016
2016.408
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tara, the Buddhist Savior
Malla period
14th century
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Gilt copper alloy with color and semiprecious stone inlay
Louis V. Bell Fund, 1966
66.179
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Leaves from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra
Mahavihara Master
Pala period
Early 12th century
India, Bengal or Bangladesh
Opaque watercolor, black carbon-based ink, and mineral- and vegetable-based pigments on palm leaf
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2001
2001.445b
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pair of Manuscript Covers Illustrating Sadaprarudita’s Self-Sacrifice
12th century
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Distemper on wood
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Eisenberg, 1984
1984.479.1a, b
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Interior of a Manuscript Cover: Manjuvajra Embracing His Consort, with Attendant Lamas
Late 13th century
Tibet
Distemper on wood
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Louis V. Bell Fund, 1998
1998.75
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mandala of Jnanadakini
Late 14th century
Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, 1987
1987.16
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

元 緙絲大威德金剛曼陀羅
Vajrabhairava mandala
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
ca. 1330–32
China
Silk tapestry (kesi)
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1992
1992.54
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ritual Dagger (Phurba) and Stand
Late 14th–early 15th century
Tibet
Ebony with polychrome
Purchase, Friends of Asian Art and Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton Jr. Gifts, 2019
2019.122a, b
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Transcendent Buddha Akshobhya
Unidentified; Newari working in Tibet
13th or early 14th century
Central Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Purchase, Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, by exchange, 2021
2021.288
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hevajra Mandala
15th century
Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Gift of Stephen and Sharon Davies Collection, 2015
2015.551
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sword Guard
14th–15th century
Tibetan or Chinese
Iron, gold, silver, copper
Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 2014
2014.533
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Thousand-Armed Chenresi, a Cosmic Form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
14th century
Tibet
Distemper and gold on cloth
Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, 1989
1989.18
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Bodhisattva Vajrapani
7th–early 8th century
Eastern India, Bihar, probably Nalanda
Sandstone
Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
2015.500.4.9
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mahakala, Protector of the Tent
ca. 1500
Central Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Zimmerman Family Collection, Gift of the Zimmerman Family, 2012
2012.444.4
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portrait of the Indian Monk Atisha
Early to mid-12th century
Tibet
Distemper and gold on cloth
Gift of Steven Kossak, The Kronos Collections, 1993
1993.479
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mahasiddha Kirapalapa
ca. 14th century
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Terracotta
Purchase, Seymour Fund, and Bernice Richard and Anonymous Gifts, 1983
1983.503
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mandala of Raktayamari
Mikyo Dorje
Late 14th century
Central Tibet
Distemper on cloth
Zimmerman Family Collection, Gift of the Zimmerman Family, 2012
2012.444.3
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mahasiddha Jnanatapa
ca. 1350
Eastern Tibet, Kham, Riwoche monastery
Distemper on cloth
Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 1987
1987.144
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 
News 15Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold