Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet

Description

This volume is the first in-depth examination of the fascinating and virtually unknown subject of armor and weapons from Tibet. Not only the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the world's great religions, Tibet over the centuries was also the scene of dramatic, artistic, cultural, and political developments involving Tibetan, Mongol, Chinese, Nepalese, and other Himalayan states. Many of these cultures left behind evocative evidence of their presence and influence in the form of helmets, armor for men and horses, saddles, swords, archery equipment, and other arms, all of which are highly distinctive, with some even being unique examples of previously unknown types. Dating from the 13th to the 20th century, these objects include remarkable examples of pierced ironwork embellished with gold and silver, masterfully crafted swords and sword blades, and extremely rare examples of decorated leatherwork. Warriors of the Himalayas explores each type in turn by presenting the finest and most unusual examples drawn from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art with key loans from museums in the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Armories Museum in Leeds, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, and the British Museum. This fully illustrated catalogue features essays by leading scholars in the areas of Tibetan metalwork and iconography and includes the first glossary of Tibetan arms and armor terms, a selection of excerpts from some of the few surviving Tibetan texts relating to this subject, a bibliography, and an index.