Existing comment:
Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
from the Alice S. Kandell Collection
Whether small domestic altars or grand temple halls, the sacred spaces of Tibetan Buddhism are filled with images of enlightened beings and powerful deities. Sites of ritual performance and worship, such spaces present a spiritual hierarchy, from buddhas at the top to butter lamps below. Sonorous chants, flickering lamplight, and incense smoke stimulate the senses and inspire Buddhist practice.
Inside this shrine room, you will encounter Tibetan Buddhist art in a manner that evokes the sacred precincts of the Himalayas. More than two hundred objects, assembled by the New York collector Alice S. Kandell over many years, reflect Tibetan Buddhist concepts and customs rather than museum conventions. Objects are placed on painted furniture, arranged among paintings and textiles, and presented without labels. This dynamic, densely layered display restores the relationships between Buddhist figures and viewers that are typically dissolved within museums. |