>>> Nepal is an inland country bordered by India
and China. It has the highest mountain on
Earth-Mount Everest; and it was also the birthplace
of the founder of Buddhism. Shakimuni or
simply “the Buddha” created Buddhism in north
India around the 5th century BC. However,
as the different branches of Buddhism spread around
the world, around 13th Century, Buddhism in India died out.
December 2017, New York Metropolitan Museum unveiled
“Ritual Art of Nepal” an exhibition presenting five
precious crowns of the Vajra masters.
>>> The importance of this little exhibition is that
we have preserved even today in ritual practice
in the Kathmandu Valley, traditions, which entirely
disappeared from sub-continental India,
washed away with the demise of Buddhism in the
13th century principally. These traditions died with
the collapse of the monastic system in India proper,
but continued to prosper amongst the Newari community,
the Buddhist Newari community, of the Kathmandu Valley.
>>> These crowns decorated with five transcendent
Buddha’s were unique in the Kathmandu Valley.
They were worn by Buddhist priests when they perform
their ceremonies.
>>> Did they exist only in India? I think very likely
yes. I'm sure they were part of the ritual life of
the monasteries of medieval India, but
they're entirely lost to us.
>>> The newly acquired crown is dated back to the
13th to 14 century.
>>> Really the catalyst for this exhibition was
the receiving of this wonderful crown, which
comes from a very famous collection, the Zimmerman
collection of Himalayan art.
>>> Joined by a 18th century crown in the Met collection,
plus two others recently discovered in the
Arms and Armor Department, mislabeled as “helmet”.
>>> This is one here and the third one down both of
which are in the Art Department of Arms and
Armor here at the Met and were catalogued as
Tibetan helmets. And so we're delighted to restore them
to their true identities as priests ritual crowns.
And then we borrowed this very beautiful example
from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond,
which allows us to show five examples from the
13th to the 18th centuries.
>>> The shape of the crown came from India,
representing wisdom.
>>> The Indian Buddhism brought from Qatar always
have this projection in the head and I think again
that's associated with wisdom. At this period
there’s very heavy conversation going on with
Hindu iconography. So for example, they wore animal
skin. But the priesthood, you have to be born into
that clan. Many young boys are directed into the
ceremony by their parents. They reconfirm, for a
moment dons one of these crowns and at that moment
he’s understood to be representing, embodying
the transcendent Buddha’s or Bodhisattvas to give
ritual service to his community. We have an
exhibition of very beautiful small bronze
portrait of a gentlemen making offerings here in
the 17th century and we know from the inscription
that he himself was a bodhicharya.
>>> The main religion in Nepal is Hinduism, only 9%
of the people believe in Buddhism.
>>> Traditionally the classic thing, nobility
and the ruling household, generally Hindu.
The merchant class and others are Buddhist.
>>> Nepal’s religious paintings usually included
the donors who commissioned the art.
>>> Many of the paintings around the walls,
the straight aspects of the deities, they were
celebrated in the ceremonies performed,
Chakrasamvara, the esoteric deities,
but they're also have a scene showing the ritual service
being produced. Impressed with the crown, all the ritual
objects that they fire altar male members of the donor
family and then here are the women of the donor family.
>>> The sun god and the moon god are both
worshiped in Hinduism as well as in Buddhism.
>>> Surya with his celestial chariot drawn by horses.
Chandra drawn by geese.
>>> Including the commissioning donor in the
art was not just limited to paintings.
>>> So this is spectacular 12th century Nepalese,
classic type, and around the base of the figure,
the male the female and the child and Mr. and Mrs. Donor.
These were the donors. The inscription gives the
information that it was commissioned by
this minister of state. Was a very senior person.
In this case, they’re all images of Manjushri.
On the left, Kashmiri, that one is conventional and
then on the right esoteric three faces, six arms.
That's what appears in the manuscript cover as well.
>>> The Kathmandu Valley is a unique place in
ancient Nepal. Many art objects were produced there,
and the ancient traditions were preserved
and are still practiced today.