Heller, A.
Tibetan calendar dates
Biographical Information
Amy Heller is affiliated with CNRS, Paris (Tibetan studies unit 7133). She has traveled many times to Tibet, Nepal and along the Silk Road. Her trip to Tibet in 1995 as a part of team for evaluating restoration of monasteries of Gra thang and Zha lu and its subsequent research resulted in her book Tibetan Art (1999) published in English, French, Italian and Spanish. She has been curator for two exhibitions of Tibetan art (Yale University Art Gallery, and Beinecke Library, Yale). Her forthcoming book Hidden Treasures of the Himalaya: Tibetan manuscripts, paintings and sculptures of Dolpo is a study of the cultural history of Dolpo, Nepal, presenting a collection of 650 volumes of 12th-16th century illuminated Tibetan manuscripts conserved in an ancient Dolpo temple.
- Wiki Pages
Publications[edit]
List of Publications by Dr. Amy Heller
Authored Books[edit]
- Hidden Treasures of the Himalayas: Tibetan manuscripts, paintings and sculptures of Dolpo. Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2009.
- Early Himalayan art. Oxford: The Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, 2008.
- Xizang Fojiao Yishu (Tibetan Buddhist Art). Beijing: Culture and Art Publishing, 2008.
- Tibetan Art Tracing the Development of Spiritual Ideals and Art in Tibet, 600 - 2000 A.D. Milano: Jaca Book and Woodbridge: Antique Collectors’ Club, 1999.
- Translations: Arte Tibetana, Davide Cova, translator, Milano: Jaca Book, 1999;
- Arts et Sagesses du Tibet, Divina Cabo, translator, La Pierre-qui-Vire: Editions du Zodiaque, 1999.
- Arte Tibetano, Inés Martin/ José Luis Tamayo, translators, Madrid: Libsa, 2000 (reprint 2002).
- Reynolds, Valrae, Heller, Amy and Gyatso, Janet (1986) Catalogue of the Tibetan Collection of The Newark Museum, vol. III: Painting and Sculpture, Newark: The Newark Museum.
- Reynolds, Valrae and Heller, Amy (1983) Catalogue of the Tibetan Collection of The Newark Museum, vol. I: Introduction, Newark: The Newark Museum.
Edited Books[edit]
Heller, Amy ed. The Arts of Tibetan painting: Murals, Manuscripts and Portable paintings from Tibet and Mongolia, Proceedings of the 12th seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Vancouver 2010. www.Asianart.com, 2012. Heller, Amy and Orofino, Giacomella eds. Discoveries in Western Tibet and the Western Himalayas, Essays on History, Literature, Archeology and Art. Proceedings of the 10th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Oxford 2003. Leiden: Brill, 2007. Book Chapters "Buddhist Art in the Himalayas and Tibet" in Stephan v. d. Schulenburg, Elke Hessel, Karsten Schmidt, Matthias Wagner K(eds) Buddha 108 Begegnungen/Buddha 108 Encounters, Museum for Applied Arts Frankfurt, 2015: 74-87. "The Life of Gesar thangka Series in the Sichuan Museum: Historical and Art Historical Context" in Zhang Changhong, ed. Gesar Thangka Yan Jiu From the Treasury of Tibetan Pictorial Art: Painted Scrolls of the Life of Gesar. Chengdu: ZHBC and Sichuan University Museum. 2012: 159-174. "The Sanctuaries of Mangyu: The Inscriptions" in P. Van Ham, ed. Heavenly Himaelayas The Murals of Mangyu and other Discoveries in Ladakh. Munich: Prestel. 2010: 34-35. "Culture and Education, Questions 68,69,70,71,72,73,75" in A.-M. Blondeau and K. Buffetrille, eds. Authenticating Tibet, Answers to China’s 100 Questions, Berkeley: University of California Press. 2008: 209-236. "Armor and Weapons in the Iconography of Tibetan Buddhist Deities" in D. LaRocca, ed. Warriors of the Himalayas Rediscovering the arms and armor of Tibet. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art and New Haven: Yale University Press. 2006: 35-44. "Rezeption und Adaptation fremder ästhetischer Elemente in der tibetischen Skulptur - Eine Spurensuche" in R. LeeKalisch, ed. Tibet, Klöster öffnen ihre Schatzkammern. Essen: Kulturstiftung Ruhr, Villa Hügel. 2006: 80-89. (also published in English, "Tracing the Reception and Adaptation of Foreign aesthetic elements in Tibetan sculpture ", www.asianart.com, 20.09.2006)
"Tibetan Paintings" in R.C. Sharma, ed. Indian Art Treasures, Suresh Neotia Collection.Varanasi: Jnana Pravaha. 2006: 91-99 "The Second Dalai Lama" and "The Protective Deities" in M. Brauen, ed. The Dalai Lamas, A Visual History, Chicago: Serindia Publications. 2005: 42-51; 212-229. "The Tibetan inscriptions: Dedications, History and Prayers" in P. Pal, Himalayas an Aesthetic Adventure. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago. 2003: 286-297. "The Protective deities" in F. Pommaret, ed. Lhasa in the Seventeenth Century. Leiden: Brill. 2002: 81-98. "Le Nag thang (peintures sur fond noir) et les divinités protectrices: quelques observations sur leur signification historique et leur développemen esthétique" in N. Bazin, ed. Rituels tibétains Visions secrètes du Ve Dalaï Lama, Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux. 2002: 38-45. "On the development of the iconography of Acala and Vighnantaka in Tibet" in R. Linrothe and H. Sorensen, eds. Embodying Wisdom, Copenhagen: Seminar for East Asian Studies. 2001: 209-228. "Two Inscribed Fabrics and their Historical Context: Some observations on Esthetics and Silk Trade in Tibet, 7th to 9th century" in K. Otavsky, ed. Entlang der Seidenstrasse: Frühmittelalterliche Kunst Zwischen Persien und China in der Abegg-Stiftung. Riggisberger Berichte. Riggisberg: Abegg-Stiftung. 1998: 95-118. "An Eighth Century Child’s Garment of Sogdian and Chinese Silks" in Chinese and Central Asian Textiles, Orientations, Hong Kong, 1998: 220-222. "Les grandes divinités protectrices du gouvernement tibétain", in F. Pommaret, ed. Lhasa Lieu du divin, Genève: Olizane. 1997: 105-24. "La sauvegarde des monuments historiques au Tibet", in O. Moulin, ed., Tibet , l'envers du décor, Genève: Olizane., 1993: 177-182.
Refereed Articles[edit]
"Three Early Bonpo thangka and their consecration inscriptions" in Ramble, Charles and Havnevik, Hanna (eds). From Bhakti to Bon, a Festschrift for Per Kvaerne. The Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture and NOVUS FORLAG , 2015: 225-240. "A Votive Prayer and Dedication on an Early Thangka of sMan bla" in: Ramble, Charles and Roesler, Ulrike (eds)., Tibetan and Himalayan Healing an Anthology for Anthony Aris, Vajra Books, Kathmandu, 2015: 180-185. " An Early thangka of Avalokitesvara from the Guge Kingdom" in Journal of Tibetology, (Center for Tibetan Studies, Sichuan University) vol 10 (2015): 70-84. Zhang Changhong and Leonard van der Kuijp, eds. Proceedings of the Third conference of the Harvard Yenching Institute - Center For Tibetan Studies, Chengdu July 2013. "Early paintings from West Tibet and Western Himalayas in the Margot and Thomas J. Pritzker Collection", Orientations vol. 45/5 (2014) : 36-49. 3 "A 15th century Thangka of Bhaiṣ ajyaguru: Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Medicine Buddha Cycles in Mural Paintings of Western Tibet" in Journal of Tibetology, Center for Tibetan Studies, Sichuan University, vol. 8 (2012): 63- 73. "The Illuminated Manuscripts of Nesar Gompa (gNas.gsar dgon.pa): late 11th to 16th century Tibetan books made for a monastery library in Dolpo, Nepal" in Xie Jisheng and Luo Wen Hua, eds. Studies on Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Art, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Tibetan Archaeology and Art Beijing 2009. Shanghai: Chinese Classics Press, 2014: 200-205. "Tibetan Inscriptions on Ancient silver and gold Vessels and Artefacts" in Nathan Hill, volume editor, Journal of the International Association for Bon Research (inaugural issue) New Horizons in Bon Studies 3, vol. 1/1, 2013: 259-290. "A Sculpture of Avalokiteśvara Donated by the Ruler of Ya tse (Ya rtse mnga' bdag)" in Franz-Karl Ehrhard & Petra Maurer, eds. Nepalica-Tibetica. Festgabe for Christoph Cüppers, vol. 1 ( Beiträge zur Zentralasienforschung, vol. 28). Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH, 2013: 243-247. "Observations on Painted Coffin Panels of the Tibetan Empire" in Christoph Cüppers, Robert Mayer and Michael Walter, eds. Tibet after Empire Culture, Society and Religion between 850-1000. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute, 2013: 117 - 168. "Preliminary remarks on Painted Coffin Panels from Tibetan tombs" in B. Dotson, K. Iwao and T. Takeuchi, eds. Scribes, Texts, and Rituals in Early Tibet and Dunhuang, Proceedings of the 12th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag. 2013: 11-24. "Preliminary Remarks on the Donor Inscriptions and Iconography of an 11th-century Mchod rten at Tholing" in E. Lo Bue and C. Luczanits, eds. Tibetan Art and Architecture in Context, Proceedings of the 11th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Andiast: International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies GmbH. 2010: 43-74. "Remarques préliminaires sur l’iconographie des ma mo" in J.-L. Achard, ed. Etudes tibétaines en l’honneur d’Anne Chayet, Genève: Droz. 2010: 67-78. "Two Early Tibetan Ritual diagrams for Cakra Meditiations" in R. Vitali, ed. The Earth Ox Papers,
Special issue of The Tibet Journal. vol. xxxiv n 3 - vol. xxxv n 2 (2010): 59-70
"Portable Buddhist sculptures of Mustang: a chronological selection 15th through 17th century" in E. Lo Bue, ed. Wonders of Lo, the Artistic Heritage of Mustang. Mumbai: Marg Publications. 2010: 90-115. "A Yung Lo Embroidery Thangka: Iconographic and Historic Analysis" in Xie Jie Sheng and Luo Wen Hua, eds. Studies on Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Art, Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Tibetan Archaeology and Art, Beijing: Guji. 2009: 293-302. "Observations on an 11th century Tibetan inscription on a statue of Avalokiteśvara" in F. Pommaret and J.-L. Achard, eds. Tibetan Studies in Honour of Samten Karmay. Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines, no. 14, Dharamsala, Amnye Machen Institute. 2008: 107- 116. "Mural conservation in Tibet 1995-2007: Grathang, Shalu and Lukhang conservation projects" in F. De Filippi, ed. Restoration and Protection of Cultural Heritage in Historic Cities of Asia, Torino: Politecnico di Torino. 2007: 133-140. "Lions and Elephants in Tibet, Eighth to Ninth Centuries" in J. A. Lerner and Lilla Russell-Smith, eds. Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology, volume 2. Roderick Whitfield Felicitation volume, Turnhout: Brepols. 2007: 59-67. "P.T. 7a, P.T. 108, P.T. 240 and Beijing bsTan 'gyur 3489: Ancient Tibetan rituals dedicated to Vairocana", in R. Vitali, ed. The Pandita and the Siddha, Tibetan Studies in honor of E. Gene Smith. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. 2007: 85-91. "Preliminary remarks on the Manuscripts of Gnas Gsar dgon pa in Northern Dolpo (Nepal)" in A. Heller and G. Orofino, eds. Discoveries in Western Tibet and the Western Himalayas, Proceedings of the 10th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Oxford 2003. Leiden, Brill. 2007: 129-150. "The archeological investigations of Dulan: 8th century Tibetan tombs?" in Xie Jisheng, Shen Weirong, and Liao Yang eds. Studies in Sino-Tibetan Buddhist Art, Proceedings of the Second International Seminar of Tibetan archaeology and art, Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House. 2006: 57-76. "Rezeption und Adaptation fremder ästhetischer Elemente in der tibetischen Skulptur - Eine Spurensuche" in R. LeeKalisch, ed. Tibet, Klöster öffnen ihre Schatzkammern. Essen: Kulturstiftung Ruhr, Villa Hügel. 2006: 80-89. "Archaeology of Funeral Rituals as revealed by Tibetan Tombs of the 8th to 9th century", in M. Compareti, P. Raffetta, G. Scarcia, eds. Ērān ud Anērān, Studies Presented to Boris Il ́ic̆Mars̆hak on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday. Venezia: Ca Foscarina. 2006: 261-274. "Recent findings on Textiles from the Tibetan Empire" in R. Schorta, ed. Riggisberger Berichte 9, Central Asian Textiles and Their Contexts in the Early Middle Ages. Riggisberg: Abegg-Stiftung. 2006: 175-188. "A thangka portrait of ‘Bri gung Rin chen dpal, Jig rten gsum mgon" Journal of the International Association for Tibetan studies. no. 1/ 2005: 1-10. "Lhasa gtsug lag khang: Observations on the Ancient Wood carvings", in R. Vitali, ed. Tibet Journal ( Tibetan Monuments issue). vol. 29/3 (2004): 3-24. “The Silver Jug of the Lhasa Jokhang: Some Observations on silver objects and costumes from the Tibetan Empire (7th-9th century)”, Silk Road Art and Archeology, vol.9 (2003): 213-238. "Did Atisha visit Zhalu monastery? Tracing Atisha's influence on Tibetan iconography" in D. Klimburg-Salter and E. Allinger, eds. Buddhist Art and Tibetan Patronage, Proceedings of the 9th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies,Leiden 2000. Leiden: Brill. 2002: 45-58. "Grathang, history and iconography of an 11th century Tibetan temple" in E. Lo Bue, ed. Tibet Journal (Special volume on Tibetan art history). vol. 27 (2002): 37-70. "Works from the Nyingjei Lam collection in the Light of Recent Sculptural Finds in Tibet" in Oriental Art XLVI/2 (2000): 14-23. Title was Misprinted; Correct title: :"Chronological Study of Dated Sculptures from Tibet and the Himalayas, 7th17th century". "The Caves of Gnas mjal che mo" in D. Klimberg-Salter and E. Allinger, eds. The Inner Asian International Style, 12-14th Centuries, Proceedings of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1998: 135-150. "Notes on the Symbol of the Scorpion in Tibet" in S. Karmay and P. Sagant, eds. Les habitants du Toit du Monde, Etudes receuillies en hommage à Alexander W. Macdonald. Nanterre: Société d’ethnologie, 1997: 283-297. "Buddhist images and rock inscriptions from Eastern Tibet, Part IV" in H. Krasser, M. T. Much, E. Steinkellner and H. Tauscher, eds. Tibetan Studies, Proceedings of the 7th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Graz 1995. Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997: 385-403. "Mongolian Mountain Deities and local gods: examples of rituals for their worship in Tibetan language" in A.-M. Blondeau and E. Steinkellner, eds. Reflections on the Mountain, Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1997: 34-44. "Eighth and ninth century temples and rock carvings of Eastern Tibet" in J.C. Singer and P. Denwood, eds. Tibetan Art, Towards a Definition of Style, London: Laurence King, 1997: 86-103; footnotes pp. 296-297. "Ninth century Buddhist images carved at lDan-ma-brag to commemorate Tibeto-Chinese negotiations" in P. Kvaerne ed. Tibetan Studies, Proceedings of the 6th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Fagernes 1992. Oslo: The Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture, 1994: 335-349; (separatum) Appendix pp. 12- 19. "Historic and Iconographic Aspects of the Protective Deities srung ma dmar nag" S. Ihara, ed. Tibetan Studies, Proceedings of the 5th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Narita 1989. Narita: Naritasan Shinshoji, 1992: 479-92. "Remarques sur les divinités protectrices srung ma dmar nag du Potala", in F. Meyer, ed. Tibet, Civilisation et Société, Paris: Editions Singer-Polignac, 1990: 19-27. "Mi-dbang's 1740 Decree to Batang" in G. Bethlenfalvy, A. Egyed, G. Kara and A. Ś ́ ́ árközi, eds. Inner Asian Buddhist and Tibetan Studies (Papers read at the Bicentenary Csoma de Kőrös Symposium, Visegrád 1984) Acta Orientalia Hung. 43/2-3 (1989): 375-389. "Early Textual Sources for the cult of Beg-tse" in H. Uebach and J. Panglung, eds. Tibetan Studies, Proceedings of the 4th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Munich 1985. München: Kommission für Zentralasiatische Studien Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1988: 185-196. "A propos de Mme Ariane Macdonald, "Une lecture des P.T. 1286, 1287, 1038, 1047, et 1290. Essai sur la formation et l'emploi des mythes politiques dans la religion royale de Srong btsan sgam po" (Etudes Tibetaines dédiées à la mémoire de Marcelle Lalou, Paris, 1971, pp. 190-391)." in The Journal of the Tibet Society, no. 6 (1986): 73-78. "Rkyal-'bud, an early Tibetan ritual", B.N. Aziz and M.Kapstein eds. Soundings in Tibetan Civilization Proceedings of the Third Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, New York 1982. New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1985: 257-267. Articles in Art Magazines "Early Paintings from West Tibet and the Western Himalays in the Margot and Thomas J. Pritzker Collection" Orientations, 45/5 (2014): 36-49. "Tibetan Buddhist Sculptures in the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Gallery" Orientations, 40/4 (2009): 58-63. "Homage by an Emperor: a Yung-lo Embroidery Thangka" Apollo Magazine, November 2008: 64-70. "The Ramoche Restoration Project, Lhasa" Orientations, 39/6 (2008): 85-87. "The Vajravali Mandala of Shalu and Sakya: The Legacy of Buton (1290-1364)" Orientations 35/4 (2004): 69-73. "The Three Silver Brothers" Orientations 34/4 (2003): 29-34. "Archeological Artefacts from the Tibetan Empire in Central Asia" Orientations 34/4 (2003): 55-64. "Indian style, Kashmiri style: Aesthetics of choice in Eleventh Century Tibet" Orientations 32/10 (2001): 18-25. "Terma of Dolpo: The Secret Library of Pijor" Orientations 32/10 (2001): 64-71. "Robert Powell and his Himalayan Art" in Orientations 32/9 (2001): 60-62. "Preliminary Remarks on the Excavations at Dulan" Orientations, 29/9 (1998): 84-92. "A Set of 13th century Tsakali” Orientations, 28/10 (1997): 48-52. “Early Ninth Century Images of Vairochana from Eastern Tibet" Orientations 25/6 (1994): 74-79. "Tibetan Documents in the Newark Museum" Orientations 21/4 (1990): 62-69. "Tibetan sculpture and painting in the Newark Museum" Arts of Asia, vol. 19/5 (1989): 139-147. "Phur-pa Tibetan Ritual Daggers" Arts of Asia, vol.17: 4 (1987): 69-77 (co-author with Thomas Marcotty). Exhibition catalogues and pamphlets "Two Tibetan and Mongolian Medical Treatises", "Four Tibetan Medical Paintings" in G. d'Andiran, ed. Early Medecine, From the Body to the Stars. Genève: Fondation Martin Bodmer. 2010: 434-439. "Four Mandalas of the Vajravali" in M. Brauen, ed. Mandala Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism. New York: Rubin Museum of Art. 2009: 99-105. "Himalayan Masks, functions and forms" and Catalogue entries 1-30. in A.-M. Rossi and F. Rossi, eds. "Facing the Music, Masks from the Himalayas" London: Rossi and Rossi. 2009: 6-19; 24-87. Catalogue entries in N. Bazin, ed. Rituels tibétains Visions secrètes du Ve Dalaï Lama: 6,11,12,18,20,21,22,24,25,27,29,34,39,41,42,44,45,46,48,55,57,58,59,60,61,62,64,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73, 82. Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux. 2002. "Word and Image, Sacred Languages of Tibet" Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven: Yale University. 1991: 1-10. "The Sacred Heritage of Tibet" Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven: Yale University. 1982: 1- 17.
Reviews[edit]
(Review of Samten Karmay and Jeff Watt, eds. Bon The Magic Word, New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2008.) Orientations, 39/4 (2008): 73-74. (Review of John C. Huntington and Dina Bangdel, eds. The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2003.) Marg, vol. 56/1 (2004): 98-101. (Review of Roderick Whitfield, Susan Whitfield, and Neville Agnew. Cave Temples of Mogao, Art and History on the Silk Road, Los Angeles, 2000) Circle of Inner Asian Art newsletter no.13 (2001): 56-57. (Review of David Weldon and Jane Casey Singer, The Sculptural Heritage of Tibet Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection. London: Laurence King,1999). Marg, 51/4 (2001): 89-90. (Review of Roberto Vitali, Records of Tho.ling, London: Serindia publications, 1999). Tibet Forum 19/2 (2000): 33-34. (Review of Gilles Béguin, Les Peintures du Bouddhisme tibétain, Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1995; Roger Goepper and Jaroslav Poncar, with an essay by Rob Linrothe. Alchi Ladakh's Hidden Buddhist Sanctuary, The Sumtsek, London: Serindia Publications, 1997; David P. Jackson, A History of Tibetan Painting, Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1996.) Asiatische Studien, 52/1 (1998): 287-296. (Review of Rob Linrothe, Ruthless Compassion, London: Serindia Publications,1999; Marylin Rhie and Robert Thurman, Worlds of Transformation, New York: Abrams, 1999). Orientations, 29/10 (1999): 95-97. Template:Footer