An exhibition of ancient Buddhist Sculptures from the Tibet Autonomous Region kicked off on Tuesday at the Palace Museum.

Buddhist Sculptures of the Palace Museum and Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art features 112 exquisite sculptures that show off the dynamic changes that Tibetan Buddhist art experienced from the 2nd to the 15th century.

"The exhibition features high class artworks from the Palace Museum, the Zhiguan Museum of Fine Art and other private collections," Luo Wenhua, the curator of the exhibition, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"When selecting the artworks for display, we mainly took three factors into consideration: time period, place of origin and quality."

Dual influences

"Himalayan art was influenced by two major regions, north-western India, which includes places such as Gandara, Kashmir and Swat, and north-eastern India, such as Gupta, Pala and Nepal," Luo explained.

These two distinct regional styles that are linked to Indian origins can be found in the western and central parts of Tibet, he added.

To better illustrate these artistic styles, the exhibition is divided into two main sections that focus on each one. A corridor decorated with red cloth in the style of a Tibetan monastery connects the two sections.

"I really love the interior decoration here," An Jing, a visitor at the exhibition, told the Global Times.

"It reminds me of Tibetan buildings. I feel like I am looking at these exquisite sculptures while inside a Tibetan monastery."

To add to the atmosphere, Buddhist music is played throughout the exhibition area, which is dotted here and there with burning incense.

If visitors are curious about a sculpture and want more information about the collection, they can scan the QR codes on the text panels under each sculpture, Luo explained. This additional information includes detailed descriptions of the object, its origins and introductions to the latest research.

Tibetan art

An important part of Chinese art, Tibetan art is tightly interwoven with Buddhist culture. As the center of Tibetan art, the Himalayas are a key region where various cultures and religions integrated to form a unique multi-cultural art style.

Dating back to the 7th century, when Indian Buddhism spread to the Tibetan Plateau, the religion started to undergo a long and complicated evolution, eventually developing into the unique branch that is known today as Tibetan Buddhism.

"We did not choose any Buddhist sculptures from central China," Luo noted, explaining his thought process behind the exhibition.

"The uniqueness of the selected items is what makes the exhibition outstanding. Through this, we hope to emphasize that Himalayan art is international as well as an important part of Chinese culture."

This is a very rare statue which is dated to the 5th century, Luo said, pointing to a large sculpture placed in the middle of the main exhibition area.

"It dates to a very early period when the art of Ancient Greece and Rome was influencing north-western India and even radiated to central China and the Tibetan Plateau. From that point on a unique Tibetan artistic style gradually formed over a long period of time."

The statue, which showcases the combined artistic styles of Eastern and Western countries, is a perfect reference for scholars studying the transmission of art in the Himalaya region.

"The initial stage of Tibetan art didn't involve statues," Luo explained, emphasizing the importance of foreign cultural influence.

"The culture from the Mediterranean Sea led to the emergence of today's figure of the Buddha, as it helped Tibetans realize that Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, should be captured in the form of a statue."

"I am a student majoring in art history, particularly Buddhist art. I found this to be a very high-quality exhibition. For me it was an artistic feast," An noted.

The exhibition comes to an end on December 23.