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Malla's Golden Age
Marvels of the Malla Period:
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Sherpas, Mount Everest and Sir Edmund Hillary are the most likely associations when one thinks of Nepal. The country has a rich history and a vibrant artistic presence. |
For over 2 and 1/2 centuries artists from the Newar ethnic group in Nepal have created countless masterpieces of Buddhist and Hindu art, but the Malla Period (1200–1768) was perhaps their artistic Golden Age. This era is honored in a exhibit currently on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Title: Amoghapasa Avalokitesvara, Nepal, Newar Culture,
Malla Period (1200-1768), late 13th early 14th century.
Medium: Colors on cloth,
Dimensions: 26 5/8 x 22 1/4 inches (67.6 x 56.5 cm).
Permanent Collection: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1977.
Image Courtesy: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Despite the lack of modern media, these artists became known well beyond their homeland, their fame traveled beyond Nepal's Kathmandu Valley and into neighboring Tibet, Bhutan, and India eventually reaching the eyes and ears of Kublai Khan's court. He was the founder of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty.
Royal appreciation brings commissions and the Newar artisans were recipients of this honor.
These artists were contemporaries of the Florence centered Italian Renaissance masters such as Botticelli, da Vinci and Michelangelo.
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Marvels of the Malla Period is drawn from the museum's permanent collection. Works include Buddhist ritual paintings that are vibrant with color and energy, and golden Hindu and Buddhist sculptures. |
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Art fans are likely to flock to view the magnificent Frida Kahlo retrospective that opens later this month at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Take the time to enjoy the rich cultural heritage of Nepal through Marvels of the Malla Period: A Nepalese Renaissance 1200–1603, which is on display until through Spring of 2008.
Marvels of the Malla Period: A Nepalese Renaissance 1200–1603
Philadelphia Museum of Art:
through the Spring 2008