The Buddha Beyond, Figuration in Gandharan Cult Imagery

In this contribution to a Festschrift, I take a closer look at the relationship between figures as expressed through the figuration of Gandharan cult images, in particular the relationship of the depiction on the pedestals of a cult image to that image. Given the sophistication of Gandharan art, there can be no doubt, that the choice of figuration is not the result of a random copying process, but one of a conscious artistic expression the details of which are imbued with meaning. To me the figuration conveys an understanding of the main image that is far from a simple depiction of a well known historical personage of the past. When considered together with their pedestal reliefs the main images acquire a strong sense of remoteness. In addition, the Buddha or Bodhisattva in the pedestal is occasionally marked as an image rather than a Buddha or Bodhisattva active at a particular time and place. Such meta-images only occur in the latest phase of stone sculptures in Gandhara with the main image shown invariably with the teaching gesture. Rhetorical relations between the worshipers on the pedestal and the main image also only occur in this latest period and with the same types of images. These representations communicate, that the main image is considered accessible in his own world.

Festschrift to be published in Germany.

The Many Faces of Buddha Vairocana

The rise of Buddha Vairocana is intimately connected with the emergence of esoteric Buddhism. Depending on the textual source referring to him, Vairocana is a higher manifestation of Buddha Śākyamuni, the Buddha of our world and time; the personification of omniscience; the cosmic manifestation of buddhahood in general; or a primordial Buddha. This article summarizes these different aspects of Vairocana, and demonstrates the importance and continuous reinterpretation of this Buddha in early esoteric Buddhism of India and Tibet.

This is the introductory contribution to an exhibition catalogue focusing on a set of 54 album leaves illustrating meditation practice of Sarvavid Vairocana. These were acquired by missionary Father R. Verbois in 1923 in Wangzi miao and are now housed in the ethnographic collection of the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS; formerly the Ethnographic Museum) in Antwerp, Belgium. While the catalogue will be published at the end of this year, the exhibition of "The All-Knowing Buddha: A Secret Guide" at the Rubin Museum of Art has been postponed to autumn 2014.

The Secrets of 14th Century Wall Painting in the Western Himalayas: Structural Damage Sheds Light Onto the Painting Technique
in the Tsuglag-khang in Kanji in Ladakh

with Alexandra Skedzuhn, Martina Oeter, and Christine Bläuer

To this joint article focusing on the painting technique I have contributed the description of the art historical content of the monument.

The article will be published with the Austrian Academy of Science.

A Vajradhātu Mandala in a Prajñāpāramitā Manuscript of Tabo Monastery

with Eva Allinger

This article first summarizes the manuscript illuminations found at Tabo Monastery, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, India, and then focuses on one fragmented manuscript featuring the deities of the Vajradhātu mandala and its comparisons. I hope that this thorough study of the Tabo corpus in comparison to murals in the western Himalayas once and for all clarifies that early western Himalayan manuscript illuminations spread over several centuries and only some of them are as early as the 11th century.

The article will be published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Conservation and Research in Buddhist Art from an Art Historical Perspective

In my contribution to the Buddhist Art Forum, organized by the Courtauld Institute of Art in April 2012, I summarized my experiences with conservation projects in the Himalayas and what their work means to research on the art of the region. Backed by plenty of examples I come to the conclusion that, from a research perspective, each intervention also entails the obscuration of particular aspects of the artwork relevant for art historical research, and at times such evidence may be made inaccessible or destroyed entirely. To me, solving the architectural problems of the monument has by far the greatest priority, and work on the interior decoration of a monument needs to be carefully evaluated and implemented. In my opinion—and even more so from a research perspective—it is not justified that we deal with Himalayan monuments and art differently than we would with our own heritage.

Proceedings of the Buddhist Art Forum, Courtauld Institute of Art, Archetype Publications.

Mirror of the Buddha – Early Portraits from Tibet

A short article that was meant to introduce an exhibition of the same name curated by David Jackson for the Rubin Museum of Art, which was on view October 21, 2011 to March 5, 2012. In this text I focus on the adoption of iconographic signifiers of enlightenment in early portraits of some Kagyü Schools.

This article should have been published in the winter 2011/2012 issue of the Eastern Art Report, but for unknown reasons never was. I have not yet decided what to do with it now.

The Diffusion of Gandharan and Indian Models in South Asia

My contribution to a conference on Intercultural Encounters in the Hellenized Orient, UNESCO, Paris, 28 to 30 September 2009. The rather puzzling title is not mine but has been encouraged by the organizers of the conference. Originally to be published by UNESCO, it now will likely appear elsewhere.

The publication of this article has been delayed, but it appears that the project has been revived this summer.