Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet

LaRocca, Donald J., with essays by John Clarke, Amy Heller, and Lozang Jamspal (2006)

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Watsonline WorldCat

Justus Lipsius Award (ICOMAM) (2008)

Publication Details

Description

This volume is the first in-depth examination of the fascinating and virtually unknown subject of armor and weapons from Tibet. Not only the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the worlds great religions, Tibet over the centuries was also the scene of dramatic artistic, cultural, and political developments involving Tibetan, Mongol, Chinese, Nepalese, and other Himalayan states.

Many of these cultures left behind evocative evidence of their presence and influence in the form of helmets, armor for men and horses, saddles, swords, archery equipment, and other arms, all of which are highly distinctive, with some even being unique examples of previously unknown types. Dating from the 13th to the 20th century, these objects include remarkable examples of pierced ironwork embellished with gold and silver, masterfully crafted swords and sword blades, and extremely rare examples of decorated leatherwork.

Warriors of the Himalayas explores each type in turn by presenting the finest and most unusual examples drawn from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art with key loans from museums in the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Armories Museum in Leeds, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, and the British Museum.

This fully illustrated catalogue features essays by leading scholars in he areas of Tibetan metalwork and iconography and includes the first glossary of Tibetan arms and armor terms, a selection of excerpts from some of the few surviving Tibetan texts relating to this subject, a bibliography, and an index.

Table of contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Lenders to the Exhibition
A Note to the Reader about the Use of Tibetan Terms
Map

Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet
Donald J. LaRocca

A History of Ironworking in Tibet: Centers of Production, Styles, and Techniques
John Clarke

Armor and Weapons in the Iconography of Tibetan Buddhist Deities
Amy Heller

The Gonkhang, Temple of the Guardian Deities
Lozang Jamspal

Catalogue

Lamellar Armor and Helmets
Helmets
Shields
Horse Armor
Leather Armor
Mail and Other Forms of Armor
Swords
Spears, Spearheads, and Miscellaneous Weapons
Archery Equipment
Firearms and Accessories
Saddles and Tack, Stirrups, and Bridles

Appendices

Excerpts from A Treatise on Worldly Traditions

Types and Subtypes of Swords, Helmets, and Armor Named in A Treatise on Worldly Traditions

Tibetan-English Glossary of Arms and Armor Terms
Radiocarbon Dating Results
Bibliography
Index

About the authors

Donald J. LaRocca is Curator, Department of Arms and Armor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

John Clarke is Curator, Department of Asian Art, Victoria and Albert Museum.

Amy Heller is a Tibetologist and art historian affiliated with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Paris).

Lozang Jamspal is Adjunct Professor, Department of Religion, Columbia University.

Press reviews

The Art Book

"... an excellent study in its own right ... The catalogue includes detailed descriptions of the exhibits, almost every one fully illustrated in color with photography of the amazing standard we have come to expect from the Metropolitan Museum."

Asian Art

"... a good and detailed contribution to this subject about which little has been published ..."

Margaret Goehring

"... exhaustive and replete with interesting information ... The book shows the high standards of scholarship that may be achieved through team work when museum expertise combines with linguistic competence ... This interdisciplinary monograph is remarkable both in its encyclopedic conception and its didactic aims, in the best publishing tradition of the great museums in the world. It represents an essential tessera in the mosaic of Tibetan culture and a cornerstone for further studies in the field."

Arms & Armour

"a remarkable and pleasing introduction to the arms and armor of Tibet. ... the first in-depth comprehensive examination of Tibetan arms and armor ... the catalogue is a source of reference, education, and enjoyment for both the serious scholar and student of arms and armor."

Choice Reviews Online

"This extraordinary book on Tibetan armor and weaponry is wonderful in every meaning of the word. Framed as an exhibition catalog, it is an unprecedented examination of the traditional armor (for man and horse) and weapons from the Tibetan plateau and an account of the multiple cross-cultural exchanges affecting the distinctive character of Tibetan arms ... All the essays offer the latest scholarly opinions and provide indispensable frameworks for further study. But the objects, organized in the catalog by type and presented in stunning color photographs, speak for themselves."

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