Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Room 32 | India 600-1900 gallery

Explore Hindu, Buddhist and Jain art from India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia.

India gallery main image

Himalayan art: Nepal and Tibet

Hinduism and Buddhism became established at an early date in Nepal, close to the north Indian heartland. From the Licchavi period (AD 300-850), the Newar artists of the Kathmandu Valley showed outstanding skills in stone and bronze sculpture, reinterpreting Indian models in new styles which also influenced the art of Tibet.

Buddhism first reached Tibet, isolated by its high mountain ranges, around AD 650. In later periods it transformed Tibetan society, with large sections of the population living in monasteries. After 1200, the art and teachings of Indian Buddhism were preserved and further developed in the monasteries of Tibet. This unbroken cultural tradition survived intact until the 1950s when Chinese rule was imposed on the country.

Nepal

Seated figure of Padmapani (EA1993.381.a) Seated figure of Padmapani (EA1993.381.a)   Figure of the Crowned Buddha (EA1996.3) Figure of the Crowned Buddha (EA1996.3)   Figure of Yama, god of death on his buffalo (EA1999.58) Figure of Yama, god of death on his buffalo (EA1999.58)   Figure of Samvara and his consort Vajravarahi (EA1994.135) Figure of Samvara and his consort Vajravarahi (EA1994.135)
Figure of Vajrapani (EA2013.87) Figure of Vajrapani (EA2013.87)   Figure of Surya, the Sun god, in his chariot (EA1991.176) Figure of Surya, the Sun god, in his chariot (EA1991.176)   Figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni (LI1026.2) Figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni (LI1026.2)   Stone linga (EA1999.93) Stone linga (EA1999.93)
Stone slab with yaksha, or nature spirit, in relief (EA1995.95) Stone slab with yaksha, or nature spirit, in relief (EA1995.95)   Stone fragment depicting narrative scenes in relief (EA2000.40) Stone fragment depicting narrative scenes in relief (EA2000.40)   Seated figure of the Buddha (EA1996.1) Seated figure of the Buddha (EA1996.1)

 

Tibet 700-1400

Standing figure of Tara (EA2013.48) Standing figure of Tara (EA2013.48)   Portrait of a lama with beaming expression of kindness (LI1026.1) Portrait of a lama with beaming expression of kindness (LI1026.1)   Figure of a bodhisattva, probably Manjushri (EA2000.107) Figure of a bodhisattva, probably Manjushri (EA2000.107)   Seated figure of the Buddha (EA2000.1) Seated figure of the Buddha (EA2000.1)
Seated figure of the Vairocana Buddha (EA2000.43) Seated figure of the Vairocana Buddha (EA2000.43)   Seated figure of Avalokitesvara (EA2013.41) Seated figure of Avalokitesvara (EA2013.41)   Standing figure of a bodhisattva (EA2002.34) Standing figure of a bodhisattva (EA2002.34)   Figure of Maitreya, the future Buddha (EA2002.178) Figure of Maitreya, the future Buddha (EA2002.178)
Figure of Avalokiteshvara (EA1995.153) Figure of Avalokiteshvara (EA1995.153) Seated figure of the Buddha (EA1997.187) Seated figure of the Buddha (EA1997.187)   Silver vase with pairs of phoenixes (EA1999.98) Silver vase with pairs of phoenixes (EA1999.98)   Kadampa chorten or stupa (EA1997.199) Kadampa chorten or stupa (EA1997.199)
Figure of Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom (EA1994.116) Figure of Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom (EA1994.116)   Seated figure of Manjushri (EA1995.94) Seated figure of Manjushri (EA1995.94)   Standing figure of the Buddha (EA1994.134) Standing figure of the Buddha (EA1994.134)   Phurbu, or ritual dagger (EA2013.44) Phurbu, or ritual dagger (EA2013.44)

 

Tibetan brass talismanic plaques or tokchas

Mantra talismanic plaque, or tokcha (EA1995.156) Mantra talismanic plaque, or tokcha (EA1995.156)   Lion talismanic plaque, or tokcha (EA2000.29) Lion talismanic plaque, or tokcha (EA2000.29)   Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with confronted peacocks (EA2000.108) Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with confronted peacocks (EA2000.108)
Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with horse and rider (EA2000.109) Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with horse and rider (EA2000.109)   Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with hybrid animal (EA2002.3) Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with hybrid animal (EA2002.3)   Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with confronted horses (EA2001.154) Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with confronted horses (EA2001.154)
Plaque with fifty-one Buddhas (EA2001.153) Plaque with fifty-one Buddhas (EA2001.153)   Prabha, or backplate to a Buddhist image (EA1994.124) Prabha, or backplate to a Buddhist image (EA1994.124)   Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with stupa or chorten (EA2000.20) Talismanic plaque, or tokcha, with stupa or chorten (EA2000.20)   Buddhist book cover (EA1998.27) Buddhist book cover (EA1998.27)

 

Tibet 1400-1900

Seated figure of Tashi Lama (EA2006.72) Seated figure of Tashi Lama (EA2006.72)   Figure of Vajradhara (EA2006.65) Figure of Vajradhara (EA2006.65)   Figure of Tsongkhapa (LI1059.3) Figure of Tsongkhapa (LI1059.3)   Figure of Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism (EA2006.27) Figure of Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism (EA2006.27)
Figure of Hvashang seated on a cushion (EA2006.57) Figure of Hvashang seated on a cushion (EA2006.57)   Figure of Mahapacharya on an elephant (EA2006.29) Figure of Mahapacharya on an elephant (EA2006.29)   Figure of Vaishravana on a lion (EA2006.25) Figure of Vaishravana on a lion (EA2006.25)
Figure of Las Mkhan damar po, acolyte of Beg-tse god of war, on a wolf (EA2006.32) Figure of Las Mkhan damar po, acolyte of Beg-tse god of war, on a wolf (EA2006.32)   Figure of Dam can Dorje legs pa on a lion (EA2006.75) Figure of Dam can Dorje legs pa on a lion (EA2006.75)   Standing figure of Vajrapani (LI1059.4) Standing figure of Vajrapani (LI1059.4)
Figure of Mahapacharya on a camel (EA2006.28) Figure of Mahapacharya on a camel (EA2006.28)   Figure of Dam can Dorje legs pa on a goat (EA2006.70) Figure of Dam can Dorje legs pa on a goat (EA2006.70)   Figure of Kubera on a horse (EA2006.55) Figure of Kubera on a horse (EA2006.55)
Figure of the Dipankara Buddha (EA2006.43) Figure of the Dipankara Buddha (EA2006.43)   Figure of Avalokiteshvara (EA2006.42) Figure of Avalokiteshvara (EA2006.42)   Figure of Amoghasiddhi (EA2006.44) Figure of Amoghasiddhi (EA2006.44)
Figure of a bodhisattva seated on a bird (EA2006.37.1) Figure of a bodhisattva seated on a bird (EA2006.37.1)   Figure of a bodhisattva seated on an elephant (EA2006.37.2) Figure of a bodhisattva seated on an elephant (EA2006.37.2)   Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.3) Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.3)
Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.4) Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.4)   Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.5) Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.5)
Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.6) Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.6)   Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.7) Figure of a bodhisattva (EA2006.37.7)
Portrait of a lama, possibly Karmapa (LI1060.1) Portrait of a lama, possibly Karmapa (LI1060.1)   Kirttimukha ornament (EA2006.130) Kirttimukha ornament (EA2006.130)   Seated figure of Kubera (LI1059.5) Seated figure of Kubera (LI1059.5)
Reliquary with lotus ornament amid flames (EA2006.90) Reliquary with lotus ornament amid flames (EA2006.90)   Monstrance with the Wheel of the Law, or Dharmachakra (EA2006.133) Monstrance with the Wheel of the Law, or Dharmachakra (EA2006.133)   Heaven or hell: the rewards of magistrates (EAX.2002) Heaven or hell: the rewards of magistrates (EAX.2002)

 

Freestanding sculpture and Tibetan thangkas

Stele with Avalokiteshvara holding a lotus (EA1997.185) Stele with Avalokiteshvara holding a lotus (EA1997.185)   Mandala of Guhyasamaja-Manjuvajra (EA2007.246) Mandala of Guhyasamaja-Manjuvajra (EA2007.246)   The 8th Tai Situ Lama (EA1991.184) The 8th Tai Situ Lama (EA1991.184)   The 10th Shamarpa Lama (EA1991.185) The 10th Shamarpa Lama (EA1991.185)
Notice

Objects may have since been removed or replaced from a gallery. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.

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