Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road: Masterpieces of the Tubo Period (7th – 9th Century) – Dr. David Pritzker

In the process of forging an empire, the Tibetan aristocracy creatively appropriated the best that the surrounding cultures had to offer and partook in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the times. The Tibetan court brought Buddhism from India and craftsmen from Nepal; adopted advanced Chinese methods of imperial administration, astrology, and divination; and invited doctors, scholars, artisans and entertainers from the oasis kingdoms of Central Asia to participate in and help build the royal court. As a result, early Tibetan rulers adopted the royal motifs, practices and regalia of kingship in the last light of late antiquity, drawing on diverse traditions, from the Tang dynasty in the East, and Persian and even Mediterranean worlds in the West. This dialogue with the cultures and kingdoms of the Silk Road defined and gave color to the Tibetan royal court. The present lecture will focus on objects that exemplify that energy and spirit within the court during its rise to power between the 7th to 9th centuries CE, and highlight the ways they represent a distinctive Tibetan Central Asian Style that was a synthesis of Indo-Iranian, Sasanian, Central Asian, and Tang models.











When: Thu., Dec. 5, 2019 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Where: Tibet House US
22 W. 15th St.
212-807-0563
Price: General:$25/Members:$22.50
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In the process of forging an empire, the Tibetan aristocracy creatively appropriated the best that the surrounding cultures had to offer and partook in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the times. The Tibetan court brought Buddhism from India and craftsmen from Nepal; adopted advanced Chinese methods of imperial administration, astrology, and divination; and invited doctors, scholars, artisans and entertainers from the oasis kingdoms of Central Asia to participate in and help build the royal court. As a result, early Tibetan rulers adopted the royal motifs, practices and regalia of kingship in the last light of late antiquity, drawing on diverse traditions, from the Tang dynasty in the East, and Persian and even Mediterranean worlds in the West. This dialogue with the cultures and kingdoms of the Silk Road defined and gave color to the Tibetan royal court. The present lecture will focus on objects that exemplify that energy and spirit within the court during its rise to power between the 7th to 9th centuries CE, and highlight the ways they represent a distinctive Tibetan Central Asian Style that was a synthesis of Indo-Iranian, Sasanian, Central Asian, and Tang models.

Buy tickets/get more info now