Walter Koelz and the Tibetan Thang-ka Exhibit
During the summer of 1933, Dr. Walter Koelz traveled to Tibet to collect natural history and cultural specimens for the University of Michigan. He brought back hundreds of artifacts, and the most renowned are 48 thang-kas, which are part of the Museum of Anthropology permanent collections.
In addition to these 48 thang-kas, we also have images of some other thang-kas that are part of the Koelz estate. (These images are reproduced courtesy of the American Committee for South Asian Art and are under their copyright.)
All descriptive text for this exhibit is extracted from Thang-kas from the Koelz Collection by Carolyn Copeland (Michigan Papers on South and Southeast Asia, 1980).
What is a Thang-ka?
A thang-ka is a portable religious painting on cloth. In western Tibet, they are usually painted on coarse cotton weave which has been sized with a mixture of animal glue, chalk, and water. In paintings wider than eighteen inches, there is quite often a verticle seam joining two pieces of cloth because the local looms did not produce wider pieces. Pigments are either mineral or organic, producing rich colors compared to the garish modern chemical paints used in present day thang-ka painting. The painting is set in cloth borders which are supplied with rods at the top and bottom so that the painting may be hung or rolled up for storage or transport. The western Tibetan paintings in the Koelz collection quite often have only a plain dark blue cloth at the top and bottom of the painting.
Since thang-kas are portable, there is no guarantee that any thang-ka was actually painted at the monastery where it was acquired. There are several aids to stylistic analysis available to the art historian: comparison with dated thang-kas; original wall paintings in situ in dated buildings; identifiable historical subjects within the paintings; types of materials used for both paintings and borders; and literary references. The styles of painting in Ladakh (see maps) seem to have been largely influenced by the different religious movements which came into the country over the centuries.
Some of the thang-kas were not originally from western Tibet. Many of these have borders, often of brocade, on all four sides. The borders on central Tibetan paintings have an iconography of their own which surrounds the subject of the painting. In essence the painting along with its borders encompasses the entire universe; the painting rises from its source as if on a lotus pedestal and is symbolically surrounded by the earth below, the sky above, and the Buddhist teachings on either side.
Thang-ka Iconography
Although Tibetan art cannot be understood without knowledge of the doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism here's a simple guide to the structure of the paintings and the figures depicted.
In the general distribution of figures within the thang-ka, the center is usually occupied by the main figure; the top portion by honored teachers and favorite deities of the main figure; and the bottom portion by protectors of the faith, most often in their wrathful shapes. Light within the painting either lacks any identifiable source or emanates from the deities themselves. Iconography can become quite complicated, but for those who have not been exposed to the Buddhist pantheon, the following broad definitions may help.
- Buddha Sakyamuni (Sa-kya-Thub-pa) is the historical Buddha who lived from c. 566 B.C. to 486 B.C. He was Prince Siddartha of the Sakya tribe and his clan name was Gautama. In thang-ka art he is often depicted seated in the lotus position, either at the moment of enlightenment, which is indicated by the gesture of his right hand calling the earth to witness, or in the gesture of teaching.
- Many Buddhas other than Sakyamuni are also depicted in thang-ka art. Examples from the exhibit include Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Light; Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha; the thirty-five Buddhas of Confession; and others representing different aspects of Buddhahood. Each Buddha is usually flanked by a pair of Bodhisattvas, or a pair of disciples in the case of Sakyamuni.
- Bodhisattvas are portrayed in the thang-kas in both human and supernatural forms. A Bodhisattva is on the verge of Buddhahood, but has put off the final step of absorption with the infinite in order to stay and help the living.
- Dharmapalas represent protectors of the Buddhist doctrines and their practitioners. They are often portrayed as ferocious forms which can be found in a temple devoted to their worship.
- The yi-dam are the tutelary deities. They may fall into either benign or ferocious categories. They are also chosen as an individual's special guide.
- Yab-yum is a term used to designate a god and goddess portrayed in sexual union, a union used as a symbol to represent the most intimate relation between two opposites, and to express the basic unity and harmony that results.
- Dakinis are goddesses, many fierce, some with animal heads, who are usually portrayed in a dancing pose.
- The founders of Tibetan Buddhist sects are often depicted in thang-kas. The three most commonly illustrated are Padmasambhava, the original founder of Tibetan Buddhism; Atisa, the founder of the Kadampa sect; and Tsongkapa, the founder of the Gelukpa or Yellow Hat sect.
- The siddhas are the eighty-four great sorcerers of Tibetan Buddhism. Held in high esteem because they have attained the power over death and are above the laws of nature, they all work for the benefit of humankind and can perform miracles.
- The arhats are the sixteen disciples of the Buddha who have been given the charge of preaching the law of Buddha. Usually included with the group of sixteen are the two legendary Ch'an (Zen) masters, Hva-Sang and Dharmatala, making a total of eighteen.
- Mudras are hand gestures which signify certain actions. Bhumisparsa-mudra is the earth-touching gesture, done in a seated position with the right arm straight down, hand open with the palm inward and the fingers extended as if touching the ground. When the Budhha gained enlightenment, despite the forces of mara, who tried to distract him from his goal, he called on the earth with this gesture to be his witness to the deeds that made him deserving of enlightenment.
- Dharmacakra-mudra represents the turning of the wheel of law or teaching. It is done with both hands in front of the chest, with the fingers pointing upward, right hand palm-outward, left hand palm-inward and partially covering the right hand.
- Varada-mudra is the gesture of wish bestowing or gift giving. The arm down and forward, the palm of the opened hand faces outward and is extended toward the viewer as if offering something.
- Abhaya-mudra is a gesture of assurance. The hand is held with fingers upward and the open palm facing toward the viewer.
- Anjali-mudra is a gesture of reverence which resembles the Western gesture of prayer. Both hands are held in front of the chest with fingers pointing upward and palms touching each other.
- Dhyana-mudra is a gesture of meditation. Hands lie in the lap palms upward, open, and overlapping. Sometimes a begging bowl or other object rests on the palms of the hands.
The Koelz Tibet Expedition
The diaries of the Koelz expedition to Tibet have been lost; however, excerpts from the period December 7, 1932 to September 11, 1933 have been published in the Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review.
Most of the thang-kas collected on this expedition come from Ladakh (see maps), seventeen from Likir Monastery alone. There are also thang-kas from Sangskar, Spiti and Kunawar. Ladakh and Sangskar are now within the present state of Jammu and Kashmir, and Spiti and Kunawar are port of the Himachhal Pradesh. All these areas were at one time under the rule of the Ladakhi kings. The area is sometimes known as Indian Tibet.
Ladakh, about eleven thousand feet in altitude, lies between the Himalayas to the southwest and the Karakorum to the northeast. The Indus river flows through the desert valleys of central Ladakh and its waters and those of its tributaries are used to irrigate the summer crops. The monasteries are usually situated like fortresses on steep hillsides above the Indus plain.
More on Walter Koelz
Walter Norman Koelz was born in Waterloo, Michigan, on September 11, 1895. He received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Michigan in 1920. His area of specialization was zoology, not the background one would expect for a collector of oriental art, but it was his background in biology which first took him to Asia. Dr. Koelz had already done some exporing with the 1925 McMillan Expedition to the American arctic, as well as comprehensive studies on whitefishes while working for The University of Michigan, the United States Bureau of Fisheries, and the state-supported Institute for Fisheries Research, when he was offered a post with the Himalayan Research Institute of the Roerich Museum. He accepted and arrived in Naggar, Kulu, in May, 1930, to begin botanical explorations. Dr. Koelz left the Roerich post and returned to Michigan in 1932, but he had developed a strong interest in Tibetan culture which led to his appointment as Research Fellow on the Charles L. Freer Fund in September of 1932. During the summer of 1933 he returned to Indian Tibet to collect material for the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology. In 1936 Dr. Koelz travelled once more to India, this time as a plant explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1939 he began a seven year exploration through Persia, followed by more trips to India, Nepal and Assam. His Persian Diary, 1939-1941, has been published by The Museum of Anthropology. In 1956 Dr. Koelz was awarded the Meyer Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to the world of agriculture. His seed collections are credited with saving several agricultural species in this country. Dr. Kolez held an appointment with the University of Michigan for 74 years. After many years spent all over the world he returned to live in the house in which he was born. He died there on September 24, 1989.