The World Museum's View of Lhasa: A Painting of the Holy City
At dawn on August 3, 1904, a light rain enveloped the valley, but by noon the Potala Palace’s golden roofs gleamed in the sunlight above the entire Lhasa valley. British Army Colonel Ronald Herring, at the head of his troops that had just arrived in the snowy ancient city, was astonished by the scene. This artwork, whose collection number is unknown, was created by Balduv Sharav (1869–1939) around 1921 and is held at the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts in Ulaanbaatar.
The collection number is IS. His later account included the following remark: "The ambitious goals of so many travelers are actually right in front of us... this sacred city, hidden deep in the Himalayas. Before us, the walls are heavily guarded, watching out for strangers.
Since early in the previous century, enthusiasts of Himalayan art have unearthed a series of sacred city maps, finely executed by Tibetan painters. Some of these maps were passed along to collectors overseas, while others stayed concealed in dark storage for many years. Bearing the title 'View of the Holy City,' the works include one created between 1727 and 1800, catalogued as 1-1972, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London with collection number C2009.4, and another dating from 1757 to 1804, now in the Rubin Museum of Art in New York.
Scattered artworks from around the world use bright colors to recreate the overall layout of the holy city, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Kyichu River Valley, and nearby famous landmarks. For centuries, these have drawn numerous monks, pilgrims, and tourists, who sometimes engage in various important activities themselves. The items include collection number 921.1.82 (creation period 1800-1900; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto), collection number Unknown (creation period 1800-1900; private collection, China), collection number MG 1043 (creation period 1800-1910; Musée Guimet, Paris), and collection number MG 21248 (creation period 1815-1910; Musée Guimet, Paris). Build the holy city.
These works are abstract, selective, and edited reimaginings, not merely representations of the physical world. Revealing the painter's and benefactor's perceptions and imaginations of the holy city, they stand as unique and personalized forms of artistic expression.
Bríd Caitrín Arthur, an emerging scholar specializing in the art of Himalayan painting, was awarded her doctoral degree in 2015. Her work focused on compiling depictions of sacred cities from across the globe. The artwork itself, dated between 1815 and 1912, holds an unknown collection number and is housed at the Bodleian Library, Harvard University (Boston). A second copy, also with an unknown collection number and dating from the same period, is part of a private collection in China.
This research is divided into two parts. It centers on the ancient city of Lhasa, which is the focus of her work "Envisioning Lhasa: 17-20th Century Paintings of Tibet’s Sacred City." The following items are noted: a collection number Add.Or 3013a+Add.Or 3013b, with a creation period of 1856-1862, at The British Library (London); an artifact number A.E. 73.25, with a creation period of 1853-1882, at the Museum on the Riverbank (Antwerp); and an entry with an unknown collection number, from 1900-1930, in a private collection (Norway). Additionally, the term "Reign of the Clean Kingdom" is mentioned.
The paintings and visual codes of Lhasa are the focus of the first two chapters' analysis. These artworks adhere to established conventions of imagery and composition, which render their subjects identifiable, yet they also engage in deliberate distortion and reconfiguration of those subjects.
The creation date of this piece is unknown, with an estimated range of 1900–1916. It is held at Daigong Library in Kyoto, though its collection number has not been recorded. Another work, also with an unidentified collection number, dates from roughly 1900–1936 and belongs to a private collection in Great Britain. A third item, whose creation period begins in 1901 and whose collector is unspecified, has no known collection number or source institution. This information is drawn from Sara Chandradas, "Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet," whose final two chapters delve into the broad art historical context behind these pieces.
Belonging to the Potala Palace (Lhasa), this piece—whose collection number remains unknown—was created between 1900 and 1933. Sacred City painting first emerged as a singular artistic movement during the 18th century, building upon a range of artistic influences, including traditional Tibetan portrait painting. The author ultimately sought to determine how these artworks functioned, especially as pilgrimage tools or cartographic guides. These holy city paintings surpass standard classification systems, opening up numerous possible ways of interpretation.
No collection number is available. A private collection in Switzerland holds the piece, which was created between 1933 and 1973.