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Sumo
The mighty giants of our program tower at 50 to 70 cm. (19.7 to 27.6 in.)
Thomas Laird. Murals of Tibet. Art Edition No. 1–40 ‘Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420)’
55000
Other editions
This edition is sold out. However, occasionally, copies do become available again. Please register on our waiting list so we can inform you if this edition, or anything similar comes up.
This SUMO-sized publication presents the most precious surviving murals of Tibetan Buddhist culture. For the first time, these astonishing and intricate masterpieces can be appreciated in blazing color and life-size resolution. Signed by his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the book is a revelation for scholars, aficionados of Tibet as well as for practitioners of Buddhism, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.
This Art Edition comes with a large-scale reproduction of a mural depicting Buddha Shakyamuni, limited to just 40 copies. Printed on plaster and hand-gilded with 23.75-karat gold, this piece evokes all the overpowering radiance of its centuries-old original. The result is a work of breathtaking beauty and a truly immersive experience of the World Heritage landmarks preserved in our SUMO.
Art Edition (No. 1–40), with a hand-gilded print on plaster Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420), in a handmade hardwood frame with 23.75-karat gold. This artwork comes with the limited-edition SUMO, signed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and the Shigeru Ban bookstand.
This Art Edition comes with a large-scale reproduction of a mural depicting Buddha Shakyamuni, limited to just 40 copies. Printed on plaster and hand-gilded with 23.75-karat gold, this piece evokes all the overpowering radiance of its centuries-old original. The result is a work of breathtaking beauty and a truly immersive experience of the World Heritage landmarks preserved in our SUMO.
Art Edition (No. 1–40), with a hand-gilded print on plaster Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420), in a handmade hardwood frame with 23.75-karat gold. This artwork comes with the limited-edition SUMO, signed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and the Shigeru Ban bookstand.
Edition of 40Print with 23.75-karat gold on plaster in a handmade, hand-gilded hardwood frame, 122 x 194 cm; Hardcover volume signed by the Dalai Lama, 50 x 70 cm, 498 pages, 6 fold-outs, with a modular bookstand designed by Shigeru Ban, plus an illustrated 528-page scholarly companion book
“A significant contribution not just to Asian art, but to the humanities.”
“Today, we only know of certain ancient Greek masterpieces through homages passed down to us by Roman artists. Some of these Tibetan murals, now gone, will only endure through this work.”
Sold Out
Please check with your nearest TASCHEN store just in case
Sumo
The mighty giants of our program tower at 50 to 70 cm. (19.7 to 27.6 in.)
Thomas Laird. Murals of Tibet, Art Edition No. 1–40 ‘Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420)’
55000Majestic Illumination
A thousand years of Tibetan mural masterpieces revealed for the first time
Hidden amidst soaring snowy mountains, deep valleys, and desolate deserts are some of the greatest treasures of Buddhist culture and Tibetan heritage. For more than a decade, photographer Thomas Laird traveled the length, breadth, and far-flung corners of Tibet’s plateau to capture the land’s spectacular Buddhist murals in all their sublime vastness, intricacy, and their spiritual, emotional, and psychological enrichment.
Deploying new multi-image digital photography, Laird compiled the world’s first archive of these artworks, some walls as wide as 10 meters, in life-size resolution. This breathtaking publication assembles Laird’s portfolio in extra-large format with six fold-outs, printed in five colors including gold. Featuring both complete murals and copious details, it immerses readers into these precious, extraordinary masterpieces.
In recognition of this World Heritage landmark and preservation of Tibetan culture, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has signed all copies of this Collector’s Edition. In the 528-page scholarly companion, Buddhist writer and academic Robert Thurman takes us through this transcendent journey with detailed text on the murals' spiritual significance while captions from experts Heather Stoddard and Jakob Winkler shed light on the storylines and artistic context of each image.
The Art Edition comes with a handmade, large-scale reproduction of a mural depicting Buddha Shakyamuni, a masterpiece from the Gyantse Kumbum painted by Konchok Zangpo in the early 15th century. Limited to just 40 editions, this piece evokes all the overpowering radiance of its centuries-old original. It is crafted on plaster using the finest over-size printers and presented in a handmade hardwood frame with 24-karat gold. The result is an immersive meditation piece and a unique experience of the monuments preserved in our SUMO.
As his Holiness the Dalai Lama has himself explained, these murals are not just objects of beauty, but serve as points of reference and guidance for practitioners of Buddhism, yoga, and meditation, as well as for anyone seeking to incorporate mindfulness into their daily life. Binding contemporary photographic technology with ancient traditions, this book and artwork are a major milestone in the appreciation of Buddhism, a precious monument to Tibetan culture, and a vital source for the contemplative arts and sciences.
SUMO-sized Art Edition (No. 1–40), with the hand-gilded print on plaster Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420), in a handmade hardwood frame. This artwork comes with the limited-edition SUMO, signed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and the Shigeru Ban bookstand.
Also available as a second Art Edition (No. 41–80) with an alternative artwork, and as a Collector’s Edition (No. 81–998).
Deploying new multi-image digital photography, Laird compiled the world’s first archive of these artworks, some walls as wide as 10 meters, in life-size resolution. This breathtaking publication assembles Laird’s portfolio in extra-large format with six fold-outs, printed in five colors including gold. Featuring both complete murals and copious details, it immerses readers into these precious, extraordinary masterpieces.
In recognition of this World Heritage landmark and preservation of Tibetan culture, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has signed all copies of this Collector’s Edition. In the 528-page scholarly companion, Buddhist writer and academic Robert Thurman takes us through this transcendent journey with detailed text on the murals' spiritual significance while captions from experts Heather Stoddard and Jakob Winkler shed light on the storylines and artistic context of each image.
The Art Edition comes with a handmade, large-scale reproduction of a mural depicting Buddha Shakyamuni, a masterpiece from the Gyantse Kumbum painted by Konchok Zangpo in the early 15th century. Limited to just 40 editions, this piece evokes all the overpowering radiance of its centuries-old original. It is crafted on plaster using the finest over-size printers and presented in a handmade hardwood frame with 24-karat gold. The result is an immersive meditation piece and a unique experience of the monuments preserved in our SUMO.
As his Holiness the Dalai Lama has himself explained, these murals are not just objects of beauty, but serve as points of reference and guidance for practitioners of Buddhism, yoga, and meditation, as well as for anyone seeking to incorporate mindfulness into their daily life. Binding contemporary photographic technology with ancient traditions, this book and artwork are a major milestone in the appreciation of Buddhism, a precious monument to Tibetan culture, and a vital source for the contemplative arts and sciences.
SUMO-sized Art Edition (No. 1–40), with the hand-gilded print on plaster Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420), in a handmade hardwood frame. This artwork comes with the limited-edition SUMO, signed by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and the Shigeru Ban bookstand.
Also available as a second Art Edition (No. 41–80) with an alternative artwork, and as a Collector’s Edition (No. 81–998).
The designer of the bookstand
Shigeru Ban (born in 1957) attended the SCI-Arc in California and the Cooper Union School of Architecture in New York. A member of the Voluntary Architects Network and winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2014, Ban’s innovative use of recycled materials has supported humanitarian efforts around the world. He is based in his native Tokyo, Paris, and New York.
The photographer and author
American photographer and writer Thomas C. Laird has explored the art, culture, and history of the Himalayas since 1972. Based in Nepal for three decades, his reporting and photography have been published globally by TIME, Geo, Newsweek, Le Figaro, National Geographic, and many others. His nonfiction books include a history of Tibet written with the Dalai Lama, translated into 14 languages. From 2008, he has created the world’s first life-size images of enormous Tibetan wall murals. Fine art prints of these works have been the focus of several exhibitions and are held in both public and private collections.
The contributing authors
Heather Stoddard is a semi-retired professor of Tibetan literature, history and language at INALCO in Paris. Born in England, she studied Chinese and Tibetan at SOAS and the Sorbonne, becoming one of the first scholars to study modern Tibetan intellectuals. She has authored several essays and books on the history of Tibet, including The Beggar from Amdo, the definitive biography of monk and polymath Gendun Chophel, and Tibet from Buddhism to Communism. She writes extensively on Tibetan literature and art and has traveled annually to the Tibetan plateau for over three decades. She lives today in Oxford, UK.
Jakob Winkler is a scholar, translator, editor, and teacher in the field of Tibetology and Buddhism. He has studied and practiced Buddhism since the mid-1980s under various masters. Winkler’s main teacher is the Dzogchen master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, from whom he received authorization to teach dharma in 2002 as a Santi Maha Sangha instructor. He is one of the few Western experts of Dzogchen and has contributed fundamental research to the understanding of Lhasa’s Lukhang temple, being the first Western scholar to identify Pema Lingpa’s treasure texts as the source for its murals.
Robert A. F. Thurman is an American writer and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism who holds a PhD from Harvard University. He is the Jey Tsongkhapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, holding the first endowed chair in this field of study in the United States. Co-founder and president of Tibet House US, Thurman was ordained as a monk in 1965 by the 14th Dalai Lama, with whom he is close friends. He was once designated by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people, and remains a strong advocate for Tibet.
Thomas Laird. Murals of Tibet. Art Edition No. 1–40 ‘Buddha Shakyamuni, Gyantse Kumbum (ca. 1420)’
Edition of 40Print with 23.75-karat gold on plaster in a handmade, hand-gilded hardwood frame, 122 x 194 cm; Hardcover volume signed by the Dalai Lama, 50 x 70 cm, 498 pages, 6 fold-outs, with a modular bookstand designed by Shigeru Ban, plus an illustrated 528-page scholarly companion bookISBN 978-3-8365-7349-8
Edition: EnglishDownload product images here
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