The Yak Brains and Crushed Insects That Made Tibetan Buddhist Bookmaking Beautiful

HYPERALLERGIC
By Allison Meier

Scattered fragments of rare 12th-century illuminated Tibetan texts from Keu Lhakang Temple, Central Tibet, before being digitised, restored and re-ordered. (Photograph by Psang Wangdu, 2002, courtesy the University of Cambridge)

CHINA---From the earthy mineral pigments ground from azurite to paint a sky, to paper given its luster from yak brains, the creation of Tibetan Buddhist texts is being examined down to its bare materials at the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. "Buddha’s Word: The Life of Books in Tibet and Beyond," opened in May, with some objects never before on public display joining 11th-century illuminated manuscripts, printing blocks, and other artifacts relating to the history of these texts. [link]

"Buddha’s Word: The Life of Books in Tibet and Beyond" continues at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge (Downing Street, Cambridge, UK) through January 17, 2015.