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The paintings in this group appear to be trade goods, export art, from the turn of the century China. The central figures - deities - are somewhat recognizable without close inspection. However, after a detailed viewing many of the iconographic details are incorrect. Some of these paintings are duplicates with the copies showing minor changes and differences while others are clearly made from tracings with some of the the tracing originals mistakenly reversed (duplicates: example 1, example 2. Reversed examples: Yama Dharmaraja, White Tara). A number of museums in North America have paintings such as these but they are rarely if ever displayed making the presentaion of these images a rare opportunity to study the phenomena of Himalayan art turning into a factory produced trade good. 

The paintings in this set are both interesting for the study of Himalayan and Tibetan style art becoming a commodity in 19th century China and also because these particular examples have a very clear provenance as of 1908-09 when they were collected in China by Berthold Laufer for The Field Museum of Chicago.

On recent attributions to Aniko by David Weldon. October 21, 2010

"Publications of late have seen a trend in the attribution of sculpture and painting to Aniko (1245-1306), the renowned Nepalese artist and architect. While Aniko’s career is well documented, his oeuvre has up to now been known only from descriptions in the annals. He was one of a group of artists summoned to Tibet from Nepal in 1260 by the Sakya hierarch Phags-pa (1235-1280) to construct a memorial stupa to Sakya Pandita (1182-1251). The Mongol emperor Khubilai Khan (1215-1294) sponsored the building. Aniko was then brought to the Chinese court where he impressed the emperor and rose to prominent posts in the Yuan (1279-1368) court. Amongst many honours he was appointed ‘Supervisor-in-chief of All Classes of Artisans’, and later ‘Minister of Education’ in charge of the ‘Imperial Manufactories Commission’ responsible for the court’s supply of precious materials such as gold, pearls and rhinoceros horn. The court annals describe numerous temples and stupas that Aniko constructed, bronzes that he cast and textiles that were woven to his design. Two stupas remain, one in Beijing and one on Wutai Mountain. The temples have not survived. But does anything remain of the portable works? The prolific output that we are told about would suggest there might be, and this leads to the desire among scholars to identify his work. While these recent attributions could be important steps forward in our understanding of thirteenth century Tibeto-Chinese metal sculpture and portable painting, how can we be sure of the attributions when there is a paucity of his works with which to compare them and no inscriptional evidence relating to the attributed works?" (Read the full article on the Asian Art website. See images of the Aniko Stupa in Beijing on the HAR website).

Images of Tibetan style paintings and sculpture from the public galleries of the Sichuan Provincial Museum in Chengdu, China, have been added to the HAR site [See Gallery Page]. There are now approximately 30 images with some details on the HAR site. Cataloguing is ongoing and more images will be added in the future.

In the beautiful and newly constructed museum there are three primary galleries for Tibetan artifacts: (1) sculpture, (2) shrine room with sculpture and (3) paintings. There are also additional Tibetan and Himalayan artifacts found scattered in other galleries. The Museum's total collection of Tibetan paintings might number as many as several hundred. It is not known how many sculptural objects are in the collection. According to HAR staff, after viewing a portion of the Tibetan painting collection in art storage, the best material in the museum's collection is not on display. The Tibetan collection is known for having a complete, or near complete set, of Gesar of Ling narrative paintings almost identical in composition to the partial set belonging to the Guimet Museum in Paris. Currently only one of those Gesar paintings is on display, although not in the Tibetan galleries.

There are two other important Tibetan museums in Chengdu, aside from a number of private collections of note - the Sichuan University Museum with approximaterly 300 Tibetan paintings and the Minorities University Tibetan Museum with approximately 50 paintings.

A page of Selected Masterworks depicting the form of Avalokiteshvara known as Chaturbhuja has been added to the site.

Avalokiteshvara is commonly referred to as the patron bodhisattva of Tibet. He is practiced by all traditions of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism. There are numerous New (Sarma) lineages and forms of practice which span all four Tantric Classifications. In the Nyingma Tradition there are uncounted numbers of Kama and Terma (treasure) traditions of Avalokiteshvara. Amongst all of the different forms of Avalokiteshvara the four armed form of the deity is the most commonly depicted.

This is surely an unusual Refuge Field. It contains elements of both Nyingma and Karma Kagyu Traditions. Probably the most interesting visual element is the line of lineage teachers extending above the head of Vajradhara. This feature follows the Refuge Field description according to the 9th Karmapa and later the commentary by Jamgon Kongtrul. The image has not yet been added to the HAR database. (See the Custom Subject Fields Page).

An easy to follow Overview Outline has been added to the Refuge Field Main Page.

As for the creation of Refuge Field paintings and the Kagyu Tradition in general, the Drigung appear to be the earliest to adopt this visual model with a number of extant examples. Then follow the Drugpa Kagyu with one example on the HAR website. The Karma Kagyu appears to be the last to adopt the visual form with three pre 1959 examples known to exist. The earliest of those Karma Kagyu Refuge Fields can be dated to between 1900 and 1922 based on inscriptions and a depiction of the 15th Karmapa, Kakyab Dorje (1870/71-1921/22).

Kagyu Refuge Field Main Page

Kagyu Refuge Field Outline Page

The design for this style of a wood block print Refuge Field composition likely originates in the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery of Shigatse and based on the artistic and iconographic tradition of Konchog Gyaltsen (according to inscription). Looking at an unpainted print image (HAR #71968), the previous incarnations of the Panchen Lamas are clearly depicted in the upper right and left sides of the composition. Of the images exhibited on the Block Print Page, some are direct copies (HAR #74089, 571) from the wood block and others are variations based upon the wood block composition (HAR #94331, 64604). A good example of a variation is seen in HAR #87209 where the original central figure of Tsongkapa has been swapped for the image of Shakyamuni Buddha.

In the Gelug Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism there are numerous Refuge Field composition types distinguished both by central figure and also by support (i.e. lotus or tree): (1) Shakyamuni Buddha, (2) Je Tsongkapa, (3) Pabongka Design, and (4) Lotus Support, and (5) Block Print. The first three types are depicted at the peak of a wish-fulfilling tree, seated on a throne and lotus. The fourth type is placed only on a lotus blossom. The two general types of central figures for all types of Refuge Fields are Shakyamuni Buddha and Je Tsongkapa. The variation of the two subject figures depend on the intention, purpose and function of the painting. The former is a Lama Chopa (Shakyamuni) Refuge Field and the latter a Lamrim Lineage (Tsongkapa) Refuge Field.

Aside from those five general types of Gelug Refuge Fields there are also three miscellaneous types. The first of the miscellaneous types (1) are depictions of the Qianglong Emperor of China portrayed either as a royal figure, or as a monastic. He is pictured at the center of a painted composition, surrounded by the religious figures, deities and protectors typical of the Gelug Tradition. The second (2) is an unusual subject, not completely understood, but likely to be, a set of seven paintings drawn in the composition of a refuge field painting (with a tree as the support). The central subject of each of the paintings is a single buddha surrounded by the One Thousand Buddhas of the Age. A third type of Refuge Field is the Custom Subject Field where any Lama, Buddha or Deity can be placed at the center, surrounded by the appropriate lineage of teachers, related deities and special protector figures.

The Painting Sets Image is being added to all record pages where the single image of a painting belongs to a set of paintings. In some cases the sets image indicates how many paintings are in the full composition. Sometimes the image is also linked to other paintings from that same set.

Completed Collections with Painting Set Images:

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Rubin Museum of Art, NY

Tibet House, New York

Brooklyn Museum of Art, NY

Philadephia Museum of Fine Art

MFA Boston

Shelley & Donald Rubin Collection

Also see the Painting Sets Outline and the Painting Sets Glossary.

The Glossary Page has been updated with more links. There are now eleven (11) specialty glossaries listed at the top of the page.

A new Amulet Box Outline Page has been added to the Amulet Box Main Page. The outline is divided into the five types of boxes and the three components.

A Figurative Art Outline Page has been added to the Art History Main Page. It is divieded into the (1) Three Moods, (2) Catagories of Human Figures and (3) List of Appearance Type with Name.

A Vajra Outline Page has been added to the Vajra Scepter Main Page. The amount of information on the outline page is far less than that on the definition page. However, the outline page does list clearly at a glance the most important visual characteristics of vajras, differences, the two most common Tibetan types (5 & 9 prong), and the other cultural traditions that employ vajras.

Amulet Box (Tibetan: ga'u): Amulet Box (Tibetan: ga'u): portable shrines generally made from metal in a repousse style of construction. The purpose and function of an amulet box is for protection when traveling. They often, but not always, have a small window on the front with a religious image inside. Typically the front is very ornate and decorated with the Eight Auspicious Symbols and other motifs. Amulet boxes are also commonly used to store all manner of sacred materials such as small texts, blessing cords, consecrated medicine, relics, and the like. Objects such as this were generally carried when traveling some distance away from home, such as on pilgrimage, or for extended business trips.

Amulet boxes are made in different shapes and sizes. They can be divided into several basic categories:

(1) Boxes with Letters
(2) Shrine Shape
(3) Square Shape
(4) Round Shape
(5) Miscellaneous

Vajra Scepter (Tibetan: dor je. English: the best stone): [1] from the Vedic literature, the scepter of the Hindu god Indra namely a lightening bolt, [2] from the Puranic literature, a weapon made from the bones of a rishi, and [3] a word that is used to represent Tantric Buddhism - Vajrayana. As a Buddhist scepter it is a small object made of metal generally having five or nine prongs at each end that bend inward to form a rounded enclosure. As a ritual object in Tantric Buddhism it is usually accompanied by a bell with a half vajra handle (Sanskrit: ghanta). Vajras are also found with Buddhists of South-east Asia, particularly Java,  and with the Shingon Buddhists of Japan.

The nine pronged configuration is the vajra most commonly used by the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism. The five pronged configuration is the vajra used by the new schools, or Sarma Traditions: Sakya, Kagyu, Jonang, Gelug, etc.

A one pronged vajra is related to naga rituals. A vajra with five prongs having the tines or tips open and not touching the central prong is a 'wrathful' five prong vajra. Vajras with faces adorning the center are thought to be created in the Dali Kingdom of South-west China. Vajras with dragon prongs of nine or more, some over one hundred, are of Chinese origin. Vishvavajras with twenty prongs represent activity and are typically held in the hand of the deity Vajravidarana or the Buddha Amoghasiddhi.

There are many types and variations of vajras:

1. Single Pronged Vajra

2. Three Pronged Vajra

3. Five Pronged Vajra - closed tines

4. Five Pronged Vajra - open tines (wrathful)

5. Seven Prong Vajra

6. Nine Pronged Vajra

7. Twelve Pronged Vajra (vishvavajra)

8. Twenty Pronged Vajra (vishvavajra)

9. Multiple Pronged Vajra

10. Vajras with Faces (Dali Kingdom?)

11. Vajras with Dragon Prongs

12. Japanese Vajras

13. Javanese Vajras

14. Dali Kingdom Vajras

15. Jade Vajra & Bell

It is now October and most schools, colleges and universities have been in session for at least a month. It is time again to remind educators to submit requests to the HAR Team. Is there a particular area of study where we are not providing enough information? Is there an Outline Page or Thematic Subject Set not fully represented - an area completely missed? Let us know your needs so that we can prioritize our work with you and the students in mind. Contact us at info@himalayanart.org. (About Us page and view a list of educators that use the HAR website).

Yes, Himalayan Art Resources (HAR) can be found on Facebook. Some visitors to HAR prefer to make comments on the Facebook page rather than on the HAR News page.  Either or, we are happy to have the comments.

Aniko, originally known as Barub (or Balabahu), 1244-1306, is said to have been born in a Nepalese royal household descended from the Shakya family of Lumbhini and the historical Buddha - Shakyamuni. The name Aniko is said to come from the name Araniko given to him by Chogyal Pagpa, a name in some way thought to be related to the protector deity Panjarnata Mahakala. Between 1259 and 1264 eighty craftsmen and artists journeyed from the Kathmandu Valley to Sakya, Tibet, to construct a golden stupa. Aniko was the leader of the group. After recieving monastic ordination, in 1269 Aniko traveled with Chogyal Pagpa to Dadu (Beijing) to meet with Kublai Khan. In 1271 Aniko began constructing the White Stupa 'for the preservation of the country'. In 1274 it was filled and consecrated by Chogyal Pagpa and Rinchen Gyaltsen - the brother of Pagpa. On October 25th, 1279, the stupa was officially completed. After completion a monastery was immediately built around the stupa. After ten years the temple and monastery were finished and named Dashengshou Wan'an Monastery becoming the principal place of Buddhist worship for the Mongol Lords.

Aniko was also renowned for constructing other buildings and monasteries under the command of Kublai along with 191 statues of Taoist saints. In 1302 the famous White Stupa of Mount Wutaishan, special for Manjushri, was also constructed by Aniko on top of and around an existing famous pagoda built centuries earlier. Chogyal Pagpa is also said to have contributed to the physical labour of the construction and to first associate the five peaks, or terraces, with the Five Forms of Manjushri. Of the 40 years that Aniko spent in China 13 of those years were at Wutaishan Mountain. Aniko passed away at the age of 62 in the Imperial Palace in Dadu.

Aniko is primarily remembered for his architectural achievements and for the creation of sculpture objects. A painting of the Emperor and Empress have been attributed to him in the literary records. The two known remaining works are the White Stupa in Beijing and the Stupa at Wutaishan Mountain. Modern scholars are not in agreement concerning any other monuments, paintings or sculpture. (See article on Araniko Gallery).

This Vajravarahi sculpture, for its time and type, is surely one of the finest ever created. Also view the five detail images. The face is beautiful although likely re-painted in the recent past. The body proportions and movement are excellent. The ornamentation is precise and detailed, also textually accurate. The elaborate scarf (not part of the textual description) is beautifully excessive with studded semi-precious stones - likely original to the piece - framing the central figure and bringing the entire sculpture to a fullness that is greater than the sum of the parts. Sculptural perfection - art and iconography!