Tabo: A Lamp for the Kingdom
It is not at all unusual for Western art historians to write detailed treatments of single European or American religious structures. We are all familiar with many fine books on Chartres Cathedral or the great religious foundation at Assissi. Yet few of these exacting, room-by-room, image-by-image studies have been published on Asian religious buildings. Klimburg-Salter (Univ. of Vienna) has taken upon herself the task of recording and explaining the beautiful and extraordinarily well-preserved sculptures and wall paintings of the Buddhist monastery of Tabo, in the Indian Himalayas in the isolated valley of Spiti, near the Tibetan border. Built in 996 and renovated in 1042, the monastery was a focal point for the diffusion of Buddhism from its birthplace in India up through the high passes to Tibet. Studded with Sanskrit terms, the text is dry but readable and will be more appreciated by readers with some knowledge of Buddhism (just as European art history presupposes a knowledge of Christianity). The glorious color photographs provide a feeling for the vitality and quality of the art in this ancient monastery. A narrative chapter of Himalayan history covers the last 1300 years, and evocative black-and-white photographs chart the European expeditions of the early 20th century that first described Tabo. This book is a privileged look at an esoteric and inaccessible outpost of a religious practice steadily disappearing. Recommended for art and academic libraries.ADavid McClelland, PhiladelphiaCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.