The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

Iconographic Sketchbook

Iconographic Sketchbook

c. 1500
Overall: 20.3 x 12.7 cm (8 x 5 in.)
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=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.191