For One and or for Many: Affluent and Common Patronage of Narrative Art in Tibet
Visual narratives occupy a prominent position in Tibetan art, and like performing arts and public religious rituals, directly engage their viewers, participants, and creators in the production and use of a specific art form. However, the role of pictorial narrative traditions remains largely overloo...
| Published in: | Material religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
2021
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| In: |
Material religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Tibet
/ Maecenatism
/ Lukhang Lhasa
/ Mural painting
/ Padmasaṃbhava 717-762
/ Life
/ Story
/ Painting
/ Thangka
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AG Religious life; material religion BL Buddhism KBM Asia |
| Further subjects: | B
murals
B Lukhang temple B Tibetan Buddhist art and culture B thangka painting B Patronage B visual narratives |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Visual narratives occupy a prominent position in Tibetan art, and like performing arts and public religious rituals, directly engage their viewers, participants, and creators in the production and use of a specific art form. However, the role of pictorial narrative traditions remains largely overlooked in contemporary discussions of Tibetan visual art and culture. This paper focuses on two examples of pictorial narratives related to the legendary figure in Tibetan Buddhist culture, Padmasambhava. The first is found in the narrative murals of the Lukhang temple in Lhasa and the second in the simple hanging scroll painting (thangka) of itinerant storytellers, who are called lama mani. Both were initiated by individual patrons and tell the same story to be imparted to their intended audiences but their production and presentation, intended and actual uses vary considerably. The murals were restricted to viewing by Tibet’s ruler and entourage. The thangkas were appreciated by all gathered at pilgrimage or market places. This paper explores modes of patronage revealed by these distinct dynamics of participation in art production and the engagement with visual narratives. These support systems contributed to and shaped cultural production in pre-modern Tibet and are paralleled by “new” modes of patronage nowadays. |
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| ISSN: | 1751-8342 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Material religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/17432200.2021.1874805 |