Sacred Visions: Early Painting in Tibet (Metropolitan Museum of Art) - Tapa dura

Devoted to a period of extraordinary cultural achievement - from the 11th to the mid-15th century - when Tibet became known as the Buddhist holy land - this book accompanies a major touring show opening at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 1998. It includes a collection of exquisite "thankas" (paintings) that incorporated traditions from eastern India, Nepal and China as well as the Tibetans' own Buddhist imagery. Though Tibet was closed to the West until the early-20th century, many thankas have survived in Western collections and these have been brought together on exhibition for the first time. The book also features scholarly essays that provide historical, stylistic and technical information.

Steven M. Kossak is Associate Curator in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.