Art of the Himalayas: Treasures from Nepal and Tibet [Hardcover]

Pratapaditya Pal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1992

A millennium of paintings, textiles, metal sculptures, ritual objects; aesthetic, religious contexts.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More a textbook than a coffee-table piece, this catalogue spotlights Himalayan paintings, sculptures, textiles and drawings created from the seventh to 19th centuries and now part of the private Zimmerman Collection housed in upstate New York, which is soon to begin a national tour. Pal, a curator of Indian and Southeast Asian art in Los Angeles, stresses, "None of the objects in the Zimmerman Collection . . . ever decorated a wall or mantel, and all were primarily esteemed for their spiritual significance rather than their aesthetic allure23 ." Essays compare the Buddhist Tibetans, whose eclecticism resulted from Chinese and Indian influence, to the Newars, a Nepali minority of both Buddhists and Hindus responsible for most of Nepal's art; readers are referred to specific plates as examples. Of the 133 illustrations, roughly half are duotone; although the bronzes and other sculptures generally are monochrome, more extensive use of color would have enriched the volume. In addition, the reproductions are often small and details difficult to discern. However, students of Himalayan culture are well-served by captions that discuss the origins and religious references of each piece.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Issued in connection with the opening of the Nehru Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Arts of India includes seven essays on various aspects of Indian art, illustrated with examples from the museum. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to the museum's vast holdings on India. Instead, it is a delightful overview that expresses many interesting new ideas on the subject of Indian art. In contrast, several things mar the usefulness of Art of the Himalayas for those unable to see the objects directly. First, this catalog for the 119 works of the Zimmerman collection currently touring five U.S. museums contains a large number of black-and-white photographs. Second, the color illustrations of the paintings are so small that the rich detail of both these art traditions cannot be seen. Third, the descriptive annotations are tedious and filled with Sanskrit terminology. Libraries most definitely will want Arts of India , but unless you have to have all works on Tibet and Nepal, you could pass on Art of the Himalayas. -- Donald Clay Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hudson Hills Press; 1st edition (January 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555950663
• ISBN-13: 978-1555950668
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Tibetan Art / Should Be a Best-Seller, August 1, 2000

By 

Mark Hubbard (Eureka, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Art of the Himalayas: Treasures from Nepal and Tibet (Hardcover)

This magnificient collection showed at the Portland (Oregon) Art Museum several years ago. In terms of the quality of the thanka paintings, bronzes and ritual items gathered for the exhibit and reproduced in gorgeous full-color detail in this book, it is second only to "Wisdom and Compassion." The latter benefited from a national audience, widespread publicity, and publication of its catalog by the nation's largest art book publisher. By comparison, this handsome volume is almost unknown. The collection includes unflinching depictions of deeply esoteric symbolism found nowhere else. This book is not only a true bargain but also a must-have for anyone interested in Tibetan art. Although I have many more recent books on the subject, this is one I return to again and again, with great joy and appreciation.