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

Tythacott, Louise; Bellini, Chiara

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.

Citation

Tythacott, L., & Bellini, C. (2020). Deity and Display: Meanings, Transformations, and Exhibitions of Tibetan Buddhist Objects. Religions, 11(3), https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11030106

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 13, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Feb 27, 2020
• Publication Date: Feb 27, 2020
• Deposit Date: Dec 21, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 21, 2020
• Journal: Religions
• Electronic ISSN: 2077-1444
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11030106
• Keywords: Tibetan Buddhism; Buddhist art; religious images; museum; display