Art of Tibet /

A routine and cursory examination of the religious arts of Tibet over a period of about 500 years, this book offers a sampling of artifacts: painting, sculpture, manuscripts, embroidery, ritual implements, together with a simplified commentary on them and the religious/cultural/political settings of their manufacture and use. It is intended for the general reader within an "interested" public. Three chapters are devoted to iconographic considerations and those of style in the imagery and its evolution. Another is devoted to types of building and manufacture, and the introduction provides the outlines of the history of Buddhist institutions in Tibet. The principal asset of the book is the group of 180 illustrations, which give substance to the commentary. But even here the reader must be wary, since the author does not carefully distinguish between remade and repainted artifacts and those with greater claims to authenticity. Despite an index, a glossary, and a bibliography, the reader has to strain to learn the current location(s) of individual objects. The serious reader should rely on Wisdom and Compassion, by Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A.F. Thurman (CH, Dec'91), for a substantial introduction to the subject and its multiple contexts. Not recommended for students. D. K. Dohanian University of Rochester