Portraits of the Masters

Portraits of the Masters is a catalogue of 108 portrait bronzes of great masters of the Tibetan Buddhist traditions. It presents an innovative history of these teaching lineages based on and illustrated by the collection. Ranging in date from the 12th to 18th century, the sculptures span the most productive period in the history of Tibetan Buddhist art, providing unparalleled illustration of Tibetan portraiture’s long and varied history. Prefaced with a groundbreaking and comprehensive history of Tibetan portraiture, the collection is presented in 5 sections devoted to the Arhats, drawn from the Buddha’s original Indian disciples, and to the native Tibetan schools of the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and the Kadam and Geluks. Each section opens with a history of the tradition, written by leading scholars of Tibetan Buddhism, that not only illumine the lives of the great masters, but also eloquently articulate the basic precepts of their teachings. The sculptures are then examined within this context, the history and images breathing life into each other.