The artistic Heritage of Dzanabadzar and his School preserved in the Collections of the State Hermitage
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The article deals with the heritage of the outstanding master of Mongolian art Gombodorzhiin Dzanabadzar (1635-1723) and his disciples, who formed the so-called “school of Dzanabadzar”. The actual subject to analysis are most significant works of Mongolian Buddhist art preserved in the collections of the State Hermitage / St Petersburg. These comprise bronze sculptures and scrolls (tankas), as well as fragments of Buddhist clay sculptures and some other items, which originate from the Sardag monastery, the moulds for which were designed by Dzanabadzar. To describe the holdings, the author uses comparative analysis of the Buddhist iconography and stylistics. The sculptural works of the master as well as his disciples are so diverse that it is almost impossible to ascertain two completely identical items. The same is relevant for the phenomenon of the Dzanabadzar school plastics. Only the images of the clay tathagatas where were used the moulds are completely identical. The article offers a cornucopia of material for further discussions regarding the Mongolian art preserved in the collections of the State Hermitage.
Source: Orientalistica
Author: Yu. I. Elikhina
Institution: State Hermitage Museum
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3090654876