Free Book of the Week: Buddhist Art on the Silk Route

This will doubtless be a topic we return to again and again on this blog, as I am utterly enchanted by the history of the network of trade routes traditionally termed "the Silk Road." Spices, luxury goods, and religion were not the only things traded along those oasis lined highways. Civilizations were defined by the interactions and ideas supported by the Road. The amalgam of traditions borne by traders and pilgrims affected art in the civilizations involved for centuries.
Buddhism is a religion that was kindled into international life along the Silk Route. It took off in some way in nearly every culture it cam in contact with, and morphed into a system of beliefs that worked for them. This week, I have found a purely visual book from the Getty Research Institute. This Tibetan Pattern Book provides the traditional proportions of iconic Buddhist art in Tibet. For those interested in more information on the art styles Along the Ancient Silk Routes, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has made their publication on it free to read online, and also available for download.

A photo of a Buddhist dance,
captured on exhibition to Tibet by Ernst Schafer.
via the Bundersarchiv