The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 17, 2025
Iconographic Sketchbook
c. 1500
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Tibetan thangka painters referred to sketchbooks with drawings that delineate the iconographies—appearance and identifying attributes—of Buddhist figures.Description
These rare surviving pages of a practice book have drawings of prominent tantric figures. The line drawing is confident and masterful, with each iconographic element rendered with clarity and precision. The svelte proportions of the figures follow the style of the Khyenri school initiated in the second half of the 15th century by the artist Khyentse Wangchuk (about 1420-1500), known for his elegant and energetic depictions of the fierce manifestations of the enlightened beings.- ?-1985(Spink & Son, Ltd., London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1985-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1985.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 73, no. 2, 1986, pp. 26–71. Mentioned: no. 204, p. 71 www.jstor.org
- Himalayan Gallery 237 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 12-August 29, 2021).Himalayan Gallery 237 Rotation: August 2020-March 2021. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 14, 2020-March 7, 2021).Focus: Tantra in Buddhist Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (May 5-September 15, 2013). (only verso, 1985.191.b)The Year in Review for 1985. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-April 20, 1986).
- {{cite web|title=Iconographic Sketchbook|url=false|author=|year=c. 1500|access-date=17 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.191