SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Tantric Arts and Crafts in Bhutan

In 2007-2008, Timea Tallian worked in the Himalaya Kingdom of Bhutan as a conservation supervisor and was responsible for the creation of new artwork to be exhibited in the new Ta Dzong Museum in Trongsa (co-sponsored by the Austrian government). This work involved the restoration of important ancient Buddhist artifacts and sacred objects from the Royal collection. The making of new statues involved collaboration with the best craftsman from the monastery and the capital Paro, which led to unexpected insights into the methods and materials used Buddhist arts and crafts. These 13 arts were brought to Bhutan from Tibet by the great Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century. Ngawang Namgyal was the Tibetan Buddhist lama who unified Bhutan into a nation state.