Buddhist Sculptures of the Alain Bordier Foundation
1st English ed

First Sentence

Introduction The Tibet Museum founded by Alain Bordier is located in the small Swiss town of Gruyères, famous for its medieval character. The Tibet Museum houses an important collection of Buddhist sculptures and paintings in addition to ritual objects. Alain Bordier established this collection with great care over a period of more than twenty-five years. It consists of about three hundred objects, mainly originating from Tibet. However, among the statues are a number of objects that were manufactured in the ancient Buddhist cultures surrounding Tibet: there are rare Buddhist sculptures from the kingdom of Nepal and other Himalayan regions, in addition to examples from Northern India and Burma (Myanmar). The oldest Buddhist statues in the Tibet Museum date from the 7th century and originate from North-Western India, in particular the greater Swat and Kashmir regions. The art of the Påla Empire of North-Eastern India and its influence on the tradition of Buddhist art in Burma is documented by mostly small-sized brass and stone sculptures. The majority of the objects in the Tibet Museum, also those of Indian and Nepalese provenance, were originally retained in Tibetan monasteries, sometimes for more than a thousand years. Like other collections of Tibetan art, Alain Bordier established his collection during the last quarter of the 20th century when Tibetan refugees brought great numbers of religious objects with them into exile in India and Nepal. The reason behind this enormous exodus of Tibetans to Nepal and India was the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 followed by the “cultural revolution” between 1966 and 1969. During that period about three thousand Tibetan monasteries were destroyed resulting in an enormous loss through destruction and theft. A few large monasteries survived these times almost intact. In their custody are still more than two hundred thousand Buddhist sculptures and paintings. Many of the destroyed monasteries have since been rebuilt. Between 1992 and 2000 Alain Bordier accompanied me on seven expeditions to Tibet. On our travels we spent many unforgettable hours studying the collections of the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. We visited a number of other monasteries and studied jointly their collections, such as those at Drepung, Drigung, Gyantse, Mindroling, Nor, Nethang, Reting, Sakya, Shalu, Sera, Thalung, and Tandruk. It was my pleasure to assist Alain Bordier in establishing his collection, documentation, and library. It is my wish to present with this publication an introduction into the world of Tibetan culture that fascinates a growing number of people all over the world. Mariahalden, Weesen, 2008 U.v.S.