Final Report Summary - TIBET (Tibetan Book Evolution and Technology)
The Tibetan Book Evolution and Technology (TiBET) Project assembled and studied more than 200 extant Tibetan early prints from the South Western area, focusing in particular on those produced in the Mang yul Gung thang kingdom. Texts come from various libraries in the UK, Tibet, Nepal and Italy. All these works are now hosted at the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit (MIASU, University of Cambridge) in digital forms and are available in the database built in collaboration with a correlated AHRC Project entitled Transforming Technologies and Buddhist Book Culture. The database (http://booksdb.socanth.cam.ac.uk:8080/exist/apps/TTBBC/index.html(öffnet in neuem Fenster) also accessible from the website of the TiBET Project at www.tbevoltech.socanth.cam.ac.uk) contains detailed description of prints, transliteration and mark-up of colophons (thanks to a TEI training by Burkhard Quessel, British Library), entries of personal and place names and information on paper and pigments, if available. The database enables scholars of different disciplines to cross-check information extracted by studying these prints. It provides a unique resource bringing together different approaches to the study of books, from the analysis of content to that of the relevant materials. It is also an interdisciplinary research tool to which scholars can contribute by adding information and material from their studies. Furthermore, the Project built a Google map of printing houses and other places (monasteries, temples, sites where the paper conservator took samples of paper plants, etc.) located in South Western Tibet. Currently there are over 50 places on the map. It is available at the same address of the database and also accessible from the above-mentioned website. The database is also linked to the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC, Harvard, USA) and will supplement it with authority files of people and places that are not currently available there. These files have been prepared by the researcher and are already available in the database of the Project. They provide information on artists and people involved in printing projects as well as places that are relevant for the production of xylographs.
The researcher examined prints from different viewpoints and in collaboration with experts from several disciplines, anthropology, art history and material analysis in particular. This led to a better understanding of the various aspects of the production and use of prints as well as the historical and cultural context in which the xylographic technique was introduced into Tibet and then developed and spread. The Project also explored the relevance of this innovation for Tibetan culture and the impact that this had on the country. This subject was also investigated in relation to a wider context, by comparing it to the introduction of printing in Europe and how this affected its culture. Printing started to be a means of dissemination of texts in Tibet and Europe at roughly the same time. In Tibet the xylographic technique became an important technology for the multiplication of texts and images. Preliminary results indicate that although printing in Tibet does not seem to have had the kind of socially transformative effects highlighted in Elisabeth Eisenstein’s study, it did have some important consequences such as: the fixation of languages and texts; an increase in the spread of works and the consequent decrease of their loss; an improvement in the continuity of transmission of texts; a rapid spread of ideas; the emergence of certain works as classics; a facilitation in accessing textual resources; a contribution to the creation of shared standards and editing criteria and to the rise of certain religious schools through the sponsorship of its masters, lineages and works; an increase in the assertion of political power thanks to the support of Buddhism; an increased standardisation of the monastic curricula; an increased use of daphne as paper plant for the production of xylographs (stellera and daphne being the best combination for paper production) and the spread of literate forms of popular religiosity. All these factors led the Project to consider Tibetan printing in the 15th and 16th Centuries something more complex than the previously assumed small scale operation (see M. Clemente, “On a Particular Aspect of the Identification of Tibetan Xylographs: Preliminary Remarks on the Importance of Craftsmen”, in press; “The Unacknowledged Revolution? A Preliminary Reading of Tibetan Printing History on the Basis of Some Gung thang Colophons”, in press; “The Patronage Network of lHa btsun Rin chen rnam rgyal: From Brag dkar rta so to the ‘Phags pa lha khang”, in press).
The researcher correlated the information gathered by studying prints with observable features in order to identify the provenance of xylographs with no colophon or which colophon does not provide indications on the place of production. She located characteristic stylistic features, focusing particularly on title page, layout and woodcut illustrations. Her research on ductus led her to exclude it from facets that may help identifying the provenance of a print. The variables that influence the writing style of a certain scribe (materials, writing and carving tools, carver's style, etc.) are too numerous and random to make it an element for identification (see M. Clemente, “How to Create a Template for the Identification of Tibetan Xylographs: Methodological Issues", forthcoming; A. Boesi & A. Helman-Ważny, "Paper Manufacture According to Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye's 19th Century Treatise Treasury of Knowledge", forthcoming).
Title pages of Gung thang prints are among the elements that may help locate their provenance. The researcher examined them in collaboration with Dr. Filippo Lunardo, identifying three typologies of drawings with their possible variations, which are now available in both database and website. Preliminary results seem to indicate that these typologies were more associated with a specific style of a certain printing house than to a particular artist (see M. Clemente, "Typologies of Drawn Frame in 16th Century Mang yul Gung thang Xylographs", forthcoming).
Layout is another stylistic feature that may help identifying the provenance of a print. Two elements of the layout, that is to say, number of lines and size, are particularly relevant. Most Gung thang xylographs have 7 lines. Preliminary results show that only xylographs produced at the printing house of gNas may have 8 lines. These xylographs appear to have a different size as well, being considerably bigger than those coming from other printing houses located within the kingdom. These characteristic features make them easily distinguishable, even though the number of identified extant xylographs from gNas is still limited. Also xylographs from the printing house of Chab rom phug appear to have distinct dimensions, being smaller than others. Nevertheless, the number of extant identified xylographs from this printing house is again still limited, but this characteristic may lead to detect others (see M. Clemente, “Characteristic Features and Craftsmen of Mang yul Gung thang Xylographs,” in press).
Woodcut illustrations may be another element of identification. Usually, the first and last pages of Gung thang xylographs carry pictures of religious masters and deities. The researcher examined these in collaboration with Dr. Filippo Lunardo. At first, their overall style recall the sMan bris painting school. Some artists who worked on 16th Century illustrations are indeed associated with it. Among these, mKhas pa Dri med is the more active painter identified so far, but noteworthy are also the illustrations by mKhas pa dPal chen and mKhas pa sKyab pa. The Project identified nine painters so far and prepared authority files on their lives and work to understand their training and careers. The same was done with carvers who worked on illustrations. The Project cross-checked data to understand whether carvers might have influenced painters' styles. According to preliminary results, this is likely, although similarities recur in illustrations of xylographs produced in different printing houses and from different artists. This is particularly true for the way of representing figures gathered in triads, which elements, details of thrones and the wide use of some particular facets linked to landscapes (such as leaves or rocks) would suppose the existence of a general iconographic language shared by artists working in 16th Century Mang yul Gung thang. This makes sometimes difficult to distinguish the individual style of artists. Some elements analysed and recognised in 16th Century prints are also present in 15th Century Gung thang blocks, a sort of stylistic heritage of which the artists of the following century were aware (see F. Lunardo, "Mang yul gung thang Woodcut Illustrations: the iconographic language of 16th Century artists," forthcoming a and M. Clemente & F. Lunardo, "Woodcut Illustrations on 16th Century Mang yul Gung thang Prints," forthcoming). Particular iconographic elements have been identified and will be the subject of a more detailed study (see F. Lunardo, "Particular elements of Mang yul Gung thang Illustrations: A Brief Note on the Iconography of bTsun pa Chos legs and Gling ras pa Padma rDo rje", forthcoming b).
The Project, in collaboration with Dr. Alessandro Boesi, examined a woodblock from a private collection and six book covers held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge with the aim of showing the potentiality of wood analysis. According to preliminary results, the wood structure of five covers may indicate the use of coniferous tree species, whereas the sixth appears to be different in both texture and colour. The block seems instead to be made by birch and this would confirm what Tibetan sources tell about the preferred material used for blocks (see A. Boesi, "Exploring Wood from Ancient Tibetan Book Covers and Block-prints", forthcoming).
The Project also had a significant impact beyond academia through the organisation of a big Exhibition entitled Buddha's Word: The Life of Books in Tibet and Beyond at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge (8 May 2014–17 January 2015), which enhanced the visibility of Cambridge collections by displaying artefacts from different museums and books from the University Library. Addressing a wider public, the exhibition was part of the Cambridge University Festival of Ideas and hosted many events such as talks and workshops for children.
Finally, the Project contributed to the digital repatriation of works that got lost over the centuries (and especially during the Cultural Revolution) to their places of origin in Tibet and Himalayan areas. This had an immediate social and cultural impact and contributed to the enhancement of relationships with the Tibetan areas of China and the Himalayan countries.
The researcher examined prints from different viewpoints and in collaboration with experts from several disciplines, anthropology, art history and material analysis in particular. This led to a better understanding of the various aspects of the production and use of prints as well as the historical and cultural context in which the xylographic technique was introduced into Tibet and then developed and spread. The Project also explored the relevance of this innovation for Tibetan culture and the impact that this had on the country. This subject was also investigated in relation to a wider context, by comparing it to the introduction of printing in Europe and how this affected its culture. Printing started to be a means of dissemination of texts in Tibet and Europe at roughly the same time. In Tibet the xylographic technique became an important technology for the multiplication of texts and images. Preliminary results indicate that although printing in Tibet does not seem to have had the kind of socially transformative effects highlighted in Elisabeth Eisenstein’s study, it did have some important consequences such as: the fixation of languages and texts; an increase in the spread of works and the consequent decrease of their loss; an improvement in the continuity of transmission of texts; a rapid spread of ideas; the emergence of certain works as classics; a facilitation in accessing textual resources; a contribution to the creation of shared standards and editing criteria and to the rise of certain religious schools through the sponsorship of its masters, lineages and works; an increase in the assertion of political power thanks to the support of Buddhism; an increased standardisation of the monastic curricula; an increased use of daphne as paper plant for the production of xylographs (stellera and daphne being the best combination for paper production) and the spread of literate forms of popular religiosity. All these factors led the Project to consider Tibetan printing in the 15th and 16th Centuries something more complex than the previously assumed small scale operation (see M. Clemente, “On a Particular Aspect of the Identification of Tibetan Xylographs: Preliminary Remarks on the Importance of Craftsmen”, in press; “The Unacknowledged Revolution? A Preliminary Reading of Tibetan Printing History on the Basis of Some Gung thang Colophons”, in press; “The Patronage Network of lHa btsun Rin chen rnam rgyal: From Brag dkar rta so to the ‘Phags pa lha khang”, in press).
The researcher correlated the information gathered by studying prints with observable features in order to identify the provenance of xylographs with no colophon or which colophon does not provide indications on the place of production. She located characteristic stylistic features, focusing particularly on title page, layout and woodcut illustrations. Her research on ductus led her to exclude it from facets that may help identifying the provenance of a print. The variables that influence the writing style of a certain scribe (materials, writing and carving tools, carver's style, etc.) are too numerous and random to make it an element for identification (see M. Clemente, “How to Create a Template for the Identification of Tibetan Xylographs: Methodological Issues", forthcoming; A. Boesi & A. Helman-Ważny, "Paper Manufacture According to Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye's 19th Century Treatise Treasury of Knowledge", forthcoming).
Title pages of Gung thang prints are among the elements that may help locate their provenance. The researcher examined them in collaboration with Dr. Filippo Lunardo, identifying three typologies of drawings with their possible variations, which are now available in both database and website. Preliminary results seem to indicate that these typologies were more associated with a specific style of a certain printing house than to a particular artist (see M. Clemente, "Typologies of Drawn Frame in 16th Century Mang yul Gung thang Xylographs", forthcoming).
Layout is another stylistic feature that may help identifying the provenance of a print. Two elements of the layout, that is to say, number of lines and size, are particularly relevant. Most Gung thang xylographs have 7 lines. Preliminary results show that only xylographs produced at the printing house of gNas may have 8 lines. These xylographs appear to have a different size as well, being considerably bigger than those coming from other printing houses located within the kingdom. These characteristic features make them easily distinguishable, even though the number of identified extant xylographs from gNas is still limited. Also xylographs from the printing house of Chab rom phug appear to have distinct dimensions, being smaller than others. Nevertheless, the number of extant identified xylographs from this printing house is again still limited, but this characteristic may lead to detect others (see M. Clemente, “Characteristic Features and Craftsmen of Mang yul Gung thang Xylographs,” in press).
Woodcut illustrations may be another element of identification. Usually, the first and last pages of Gung thang xylographs carry pictures of religious masters and deities. The researcher examined these in collaboration with Dr. Filippo Lunardo. At first, their overall style recall the sMan bris painting school. Some artists who worked on 16th Century illustrations are indeed associated with it. Among these, mKhas pa Dri med is the more active painter identified so far, but noteworthy are also the illustrations by mKhas pa dPal chen and mKhas pa sKyab pa. The Project identified nine painters so far and prepared authority files on their lives and work to understand their training and careers. The same was done with carvers who worked on illustrations. The Project cross-checked data to understand whether carvers might have influenced painters' styles. According to preliminary results, this is likely, although similarities recur in illustrations of xylographs produced in different printing houses and from different artists. This is particularly true for the way of representing figures gathered in triads, which elements, details of thrones and the wide use of some particular facets linked to landscapes (such as leaves or rocks) would suppose the existence of a general iconographic language shared by artists working in 16th Century Mang yul Gung thang. This makes sometimes difficult to distinguish the individual style of artists. Some elements analysed and recognised in 16th Century prints are also present in 15th Century Gung thang blocks, a sort of stylistic heritage of which the artists of the following century were aware (see F. Lunardo, "Mang yul gung thang Woodcut Illustrations: the iconographic language of 16th Century artists," forthcoming a and M. Clemente & F. Lunardo, "Woodcut Illustrations on 16th Century Mang yul Gung thang Prints," forthcoming). Particular iconographic elements have been identified and will be the subject of a more detailed study (see F. Lunardo, "Particular elements of Mang yul Gung thang Illustrations: A Brief Note on the Iconography of bTsun pa Chos legs and Gling ras pa Padma rDo rje", forthcoming b).
The Project, in collaboration with Dr. Alessandro Boesi, examined a woodblock from a private collection and six book covers held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge with the aim of showing the potentiality of wood analysis. According to preliminary results, the wood structure of five covers may indicate the use of coniferous tree species, whereas the sixth appears to be different in both texture and colour. The block seems instead to be made by birch and this would confirm what Tibetan sources tell about the preferred material used for blocks (see A. Boesi, "Exploring Wood from Ancient Tibetan Book Covers and Block-prints", forthcoming).
The Project also had a significant impact beyond academia through the organisation of a big Exhibition entitled Buddha's Word: The Life of Books in Tibet and Beyond at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge (8 May 2014–17 January 2015), which enhanced the visibility of Cambridge collections by displaying artefacts from different museums and books from the University Library. Addressing a wider public, the exhibition was part of the Cambridge University Festival of Ideas and hosted many events such as talks and workshops for children.
Finally, the Project contributed to the digital repatriation of works that got lost over the centuries (and especially during the Cultural Revolution) to their places of origin in Tibet and Himalayan areas. This had an immediate social and cultural impact and contributed to the enhancement of relationships with the Tibetan areas of China and the Himalayan countries.