Christian Jahoda & Christiane Papa-Kalantari, Wien
摘要
This article presents a fresh perspective on a stone stele rdo ring) located in Cogro village near the town of Purang in Western Tibet. The stele bears a relief of a standing Avalokite vara on the front side and an inscription on two other sides naming a hitherto unknown member of the famous Tibetan ’Bro clan seng ge zhang chen po ’Bro Khri brtsan sgra mGon po rgyal) as its donor. New perspectives on this monument are provided not only by a transliteration and translation of the inscription supplemented by information on related local oral traditions but also by placing it in the broader context of history and in particular of the artistic development of works of art during the time of the Central Tibetan sPu rgyal dynasty and the early period of the West Tibetan kingdom. The Cogro stele represents an important example of a distinctive, stylistically influential type of early Tibetan art in this region which probably emerged as early as the 9th century and for which evidence exists up to the end of the 10th century. This article examines the various trends and regional types of this style in Western Tibet including Tabo) and also identifies comparative examples of the early phase of this type occuring at Dunhuang and Central Tibet.
