Ulaanbaatar
Collection of Zanabazar's Masterpieces on Display
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Ulaanbaatar, November 23, 2023 /MONTSAME. As part of the Month for Cultural Creativity, the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum in Mongolia, in cooperation with the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, the Choijin Lama Temple Museum, and collector B. Amarsanaa, is organizing a special exhibition entitled "The Twenty-One Taras - the Legacy of Zanabazar." The Exhibition will be open from November 20 to November 27, 2023.
Over 60 items of the revered sculptor Zanabazar's work are on display, including five Dhyani, or Contemplation Buddhas, cast in 1683, and Tara in her 21 manifestations. The Exhibition also features Zanabazar's biographical narratives and some of his personal belongings. Zanabazar, also known as Undur Gegeen (High Saint), was not only a pre-eminent public figure and scholar, but also a remarkable poet, painter, philosopher, and gifted sculptor.
"Zanabazar's diverse talents, philanthropic views, and powerful artistic creativity place him among the icons of the Western Renaissance. Indeed, his masterpieces - the Five Dhyani Buddhas, Vajradhara, Maitreya, Manjushri, and the Goddess Taras - continue to be widely admired. The Exhibition features masterpieces created by Zanabazar, brought from other museums, as well as "sacred relics" kept in the treasury of the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum, which are unique not only in Mongolia but also in the world," stated Ts. Erdenebaatar, Director of the Bogd Khaan Palace Museum.
"It is believed that Zanabazar introduced the lost-wax technique to Mongolia in the mid-17th century. The technique involves casting parts of the sculpture body with patterns and decorations in one step. Due to his skills in sculpting "Green Tara," "White Tara," and 21 Goddess Taras, he was named an Asian Michelangelo by critics. His works are magnificent," said D. Nyammyaggmar, Bogd Khaan Palace Museum Research Worker.
