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The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan | 
| Creator: Honolulu Academy Of Arts
Publisher: Serindia Publications, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $65.00
Buy New: $64.68
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 289149
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 390
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.3
Dimensions (in): 12 x 9.3 x 1
ISBN: 1932476350
EAN: 9781932476354
ASIN: 1932476350
Publication Date: February 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book ready to ship from reputable mid-West retailer.
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Product Description
This catalogue accompanies The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan, one of the most highly anticipated exhibitions of Buddhist art to be held in recent times. For over five years, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Little, has conducted ambitious fieldwork and research in Bhutan. Enjoying a close working relationship with the Royal Government of Bhutan, the Honolulu Academy of Arts research teams have been given unprecedented access to the nation s treasuries of sacred art and dance. The Dragon's Gift offers a rare opportunity to introduce, to the wider international audience, some of the most sacred Buddhist images of Bhutan. From the wealth of material surveyed, the organizers of the exhibition have selected over one hundred objects of superior aesthetic achievement and deep religious significance, the vast majority of which have never before been seen in the West. Nearly all of the works of art presented in this catalogue are from active temples and monasteries and remain in ritual use. Most of the items are painted or textile thangkas or gilt bronze sculptures which date primarily from the 17th to the 19th centuries a golden age in the Buddhist arts of Bhutan. Ranging from depictions of Tantric deities to individualized portraits of Buddhist masters, the exhibition and catalogue present outstanding works of art with a wide iconographic scope. For the Buddhist people of Bhutan, these sacred items are conceived as supports along the journey to enlightenment, and are of vital spiritual significance. Complementing the presentation of sacred works of art is the documentation of the ancient Cham dances of Bhutan, to which the dance preservation team was given privileged entree. Having documented over three hundred hours of sacred and secular dances, they have made a first assay of one of the few surviving treasures of the trans-Himalayan movement tradition. These differing approaches to the visual and moving arts provide further insight into the unique experience of Buddhism in Bhutan. A brief sampling of the variety of extant dance lineages some many centuries old is included on the DVD contained within the catalogue. Beautifully illustrated, the catalogue also includes twelve essays contributed by leading Bhutanese and Western scholars, covering various aspects of the Bhutanese arts. Contributors include: Dr. Stephen Little, Ven. Lopon Pemala, Ven. Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi, Terese Tse Bartholomew, John Johnston, Dr. Karma Phuntsho, Dr. David Jackson, Dr. John A. Ardussi, Dr. Yonten Dargye, Dr. Per K. Soerensen, Dorji Yangki, Ephraim Jose, Mark Fenn, and Joseph Houseal.
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A Gift For All Who Have Been To Bhutan or Long To Travel There June 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
From the moment my husband and I set foot on the tarmac of the Paro airport in Bhutan, we knew we weren't, as Dorothy says to her little dog, in Kansas any more! With each step we took, we discovered more that drew us to the conclusion that Bhutan is like a shining jewel set in the Himalayas, inhabited by kind and colorful people. Since Buddhism is the nation's religion it is not surprising that its art has traditionally focused on the monastic centers of this enchanting kingdom -- the Land of the Thunder Dragon. This book is primarily the catalogue for an exhibition of Bhutan's Buddhist art, which was launched in Honolulu by the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and which will travel to New York this summer and on to San Francisco next year. What makes this book as absolutely stunning as the country from which it sprung is the fact that the majority of the art in the exhibition and book was borrowed from among Bhutan's 2000 monasteries and temples. What makes the book even more stunning is the fact that if one visits the Punacha Dzong, the source of several of these art treasures, one would not see these objects. They are so sacred and so treasured by their Buddhist caretakers that these statues and thonkas (sacred tapestries) are usually locked away and are rarely, if ever, on public display. What also makes this book impressive are the 12 essays which introduce the collection. These essays explain how the exhibition came about; explain how the sacred items were chosen and retrieved from mountain monasteries most of which are reached only by foot path; explain the religious significance and history of the chosen items; and explain how Bhutan's religious and governmental officials have teamed with the Honolulu Academy of Arts and others to develop a program to conserve and repair Bhutan's sacred items, especially the thonkas. I poured over the essays and learned much of the country's religious history. If the magnificent photographs and essays were not enough, the book comes with a CD focusing on cham -- dance and the substantial role it plays in the lives of the Bhutanese. Having been privileged to see several different dances at different monasteries -- masked monk dances, laymen's dance and traditional women's line dancing, before I read a word, I played the CD. To have tried to do justice to Bhutan's sacred art without including cham would have left a great hole in the story of this kingdom's art. My only disappointment was that there was not more. I wanted more CDs with more dances. I wanted pictures of the monasteries where the dances take place. I simply wanted more Bhutan! The dances are enthralling and the CD is not only entertaining but also is instructive! My hat is off to the Bhutanese royal family, Bhutan's government, Bhutan's monk body, and to the scholars at the Honolulu Academy of Art for undertaking this momentous project. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this wonderful, beautiful and informative book. We can't wait to see the exhibition and, of course, to return to the Land of the Thunder Dragon!
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