Art of the Himalayas: Treasures from Nepal and Tibet
More a textbook than a coffee-table piece, this catalogue spotlights Himalayan paintings, sculptures, textiles and drawings created from the seventh to 19th centuries and now part of the private Zimmerman Collection housed in upstate New York, which is soon to begin a national tour. Pal, a curator of Indian and Southeast Asian art in Los Angeles, stresses, "None of the objects in the Zimmerman Collection . . . ever decorated a wall or mantel, and all were primarily esteemed for their spiritual significance rather than their aesthetic allure23 ." Essays compare the Buddhist Tibetans, whose eclecticism resulted from Chinese and Indian influence, to the Newars, a Nepali minority of both Buddhists and Hindus responsible for most of Nepal's art; readers are referred to specific plates as examples. Of the 133 illustrations, roughly half are duotone; although the bronzes and other sculptures generally are monochrome, more extensive use of color would have enriched the volume. In addition, the reproductions are often small and details difficult to discern. However, students of Himalayan culture are well-served by captions that discuss the origins and religious references of each piece.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.