Subject: Furniture (Himalayan & Tibetan)
Furniture MasterworksSubjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Introduction
- Buddhist Shrine
- Ritual Objects Main Page
- Confusions
- Others...
Video: Furniture: Himalayan & Tibetan
Categories of Furniture:
- Throne
- Shelves
- Cabinets
- Tables
- Trunks
- Doors
- Door Pulls
- Others...
Miscellaneous Collections:
- John & Karina Stewart
- Private Collection 1
- Others...
Himalayan and Tibetan furniture is understood and appreciated by either the shape, design and quality of the object itself, or it is appreciated because of the artistic finishes, detail work or painting of abstract, symbolic or figurative forms.
Furniture is often highly decorative with either painted patterns or figurative motifs. There are five major types of furniture by design and function: shelves, cabinets, tables, trunks and doors. Thrones are generally found in temples and large shrine rooms. Shelves are used for arranging a shrine in a large space or a private dwelling. Cabinets can be for images, texts or 'torma' offerings. Trunks are used to store any manner of objects. In temples trunks are often used to store rolled up scroll work paintings and small sculpture. Doors are sometimes removed and replaced in order to maintain the integrity of the original painting. Door pulls are generally metalcraft work and in some instances of a very high quality and decorative.
Jeff Watt [updated 9-2019]
Bibliography:
Wooden Wonders: Tibetan Furniture In Secular And Religious Life by David Kamansky. Serindia Publications, 2004.
Tibetan Furniture by Chris Buckley. Floating World Editions, 2006.
Auspicious by Design: A Collection of Antique Tibetan Painted Furniture
by Camilla Corona. Mera Publications, 2021.
