25682
Author
Reedy, Chandra L.
Title Of Article Chaper
The opening of consecrated Tibetan bronzes with interior contents: scholarly, conservation, and ethical considerations
Title Of Journal Book
Journal of the American Institute for Conservation
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
13-34
Collation
13 figs., 2 tables
Reference Bibliography
refs.
ISSN
0197-1360
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Tibetan Buddhist and Bon-pö statues are consecrated before being used for worship. During the ceremony, objects are often sealed inside hollow-cast pieces. Many types of objects have been found when statues were opened for museum study. Although statue contents comprise an interesting range of items, they were only rarely found to contain information relevant to the date or place of manufacture of a piece. Much time and expense are generally required to fully analyze and conserve the removed contents. A survey of Tibetan religious teachers revealed strong opinions that opening a statue is a desecration that cannot really be rectified. The conclusion of this research is that the data obtained from removing and studying statue contents are not useful enough to justify further statue openings.
Keywords
bronze;sacred objects;sculpture;metals;ethics
pub_id
25682