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Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet |
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| A Special Exhibition Review by Stan Parchin |
About the show:
Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a first-of-a-kind special exhibition. It explores the beautifully crafted armor, weaponry and equestrian armaments produced by Tibetan artisans from the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Century. Arranged in spacious galleries on the museum's first floor, the 135 objects on view are drawn largely from The Met's expansive holdings. Significant loans by nine European and American public institutions round out the magnificent display, complemented by one spectacular work from a private collection.
Tibet, usually regarded as a peaceful Buddhist kingdom (roughly the size of Western Europe), has had to defend its territorial sovereignty periodically from the Seventh to the early Twentieth Century. Despite the country's intermittently military history, many of the show's objects were produced and reserved for religious and ceremonial purposes. Those on exhibit at The Met demonstrate how Tibetan armorers were influenced artistically by the Nepalese, other neighboring Himalayan peoples, the Mongols and the Chinese. Many of these pieces were fortunately preserved for annual events. A practice begun in the Seventeenth Century, the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa, Tibet's capital, is one of these occasions. Other pieces serve a devotional purpose in Tibetan temples and monasteries dedicated to protective Buddhist deities.
A unique miniature example of an iron helmet with lamellar armor in the exhibition is the only one of its kind known in existence. Lamellar is best described as small rectangular plates (lames) masterfully interwoven in a precise parallel pattern. This work's diminutive dimensions suggest that it was possibly created as a covering to adorn a votive image in a Buddhist sanctuary. The work's intricate weaving imitates life-sized Tibetan armor.
Miniature Lamellar Armor and Helmet
Tibetan
Probably 15th-16th Century A.D.
Iron, leather and textile
H. approx. 30 in. (76.2 cm)
© Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds (XXVIA.18)
The central part of the exhibition features an Armored Cavalryman on horseback. The ensemble's one-piece helmet, probably Bhutanese in design, is hemispherical in shape. An iron finial on its head was meant to secure a decorative feathered plume. The cavalryman's gray shirt of mail (body armor composed of metal rings linked together to form a tight mesh) neatly covers the intended soldier's torso. Astride a valiant steed, the Tibetan warrior is equipped with a quiver or container full of arrows.
Armored Cavalryman
Tibetan, with Bhutanese, Nepalese, and Chinese elements
18th to 19th century A.D.
Iron, gold, copper alloy, wood, leather, and textile
Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935 (36.25.25, .28, .351, .476,
.583a-c, h-k, .842a-c, .2174, .2416, .2505, and .2557)
Bequest of Joseph V. McMullan, 1974 (1974.160.10 [saddle rug]);
and Gift of Mrs. Faïe J. Joyce, 1970 (1970.164.7a,b [boots])
[36.25.25, etc.]
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A delicate Sword Guard dating from the Fourteenth to Fifteenth Centuries A.D. best exemplifies the height of craftsmanship and symbolism in Tibetan weaponry. This fiercely expressive mask of a Himalayan deity is exceptional in terms of its penetrating glance and the artisan's precise attention to detail. Its symmetrical design is gently balanced by the brow's insightful third eye, that of Wisdom, in the center of the effigy's forehead. Although the guard's actual blade is missing, swords in Tibetan Buddhism were revered for their power to eliminate ignorance symbolically.
Sword Guard
Tibetan or Chinese
14th to 15th Century A.D.
Iron, gold, silver and copper
H. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm), W. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm)
© The Kronos Collections
Fascinating jewel-encrusted weapons (some representing their owners' social standings) and various forms of equestrian armament attest to the artistic and cultural sophistication of the peoples of the Tibetan plateau. Donald J. LaRocca, Curator in The Met's Department of Arms and Armor, has arranged the works on display by usage and then chronologically, a task of monumental proportions. Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet is a unique opportunity to explore one facet of a culture's artistic heritage largely unknown by a Western audience.
About the catalogue:
LaRocca, Donald J. (ed.), et al. Warriors of the Himalayas:
Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet (exh. cat.).
New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006.
This 320-page hardcover catalogue by four experts in arms and armor, Asian art, Tibetan Studies and religion will be the definitive in-depth text on arms and armor from Tibet for years to come. It contains the first Tibetan-English glossary of terminology related to the subject.
"Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet" is on view through July 2, 2006 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82 Street, New York, NY 10028-0198 (Telephone: 212-535-7710; Website). The museum is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM. SUGGESTED admission is $15.00 for adults. Paid parking is available in The Museum Garage.
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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.
