Shakyamuni Buddha in a Full Shrine. Probably Dolonnor, Mongolia (late 18th/early 19th century). Silver repoussé image with turquoise urna; floral mandorla with leaves of gilt copper and flowers of silver with coral and mother‐of‐pearl; a solid cast garuda bird at the peak; heavily gilded bronze lotus seat and base with inset turquoise, coral, and lapis lazuli; base sealed with a copper plate incised with a double vajra; contents inside. ELS2010.4.9a‐c. Image credit: Alice S. Kandell Collection.
During the Tibetan Shrine exhibition at the Sackler gallery in Washington, DC, at the foot of the staircase leading into the museum’s subterranean atrium, a red gateway drew visitors toward a small opening on the opposite, neutral wall. Introductory wall text explained that what lay inside approximated a shrine that an elite family in Tibet might have had in their home. Comprised of objects collected over several decades by Alice Kandell, the single-room shrine installation...
