The artistic Heritage of Dzanabadzar and his School preserved in the Collections of the State Hermitage
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.
About the Author
Yu. I. Elikhina
The State Hermitage Museum
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Julia I. Elikhina - Ph. D. (Hist.), leading researcher of the Oriental Department of the State Hermitage, Curator of Tibetan, Mongolian and Khotanese collections, The State Hermitage Museum, Docent of St. Petersburg State University.
St. Petersburg.
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Acknowledgments: The research was supported by the grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Mongolian Foundation for Basic Research. Grant reference: 19-59-44011/19.
For citation:
Elikhina Yu.I. The artistic Heritage of Dzanabadzar and his School preserved in the Collections of the State Hermitage. Orientalistica. 2020;3(3):662-680. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31696/2618-7043-2020-3-3-662-680
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