#MC71
Ca. 1905
Seven ink drawings on thick paper ca. 27 x 23cm (11 x 9 in.) and slightly smaller. The original ink drawings are recently matted together with the corresponding printed text illustration leaves from the book. Housed in a custom made black cloth portfolio with a printed paper title page label and silk ties. One drawing with an expertly repaired corner chip, but overall the ink drawings are in very good condition.
This historically important collection of ink drawings show 1. A Tibetan Rosary (p.47); 2. Lama d Ge ss Long with yellow hat and cloak etc. (p.48); 3. A travelling lama (p.63); 4. Illustration of an Indian legend (p.85); 5. A prayer drum partially made with human skull parts (p. 103); 6. A water-powered prayer wheel (p.104); 7. Tibetan cairn with prayer flags on mountain top (p.128). The illustrations are supplemented with the matted title page and map of the monastery from the book. The preface states that the ink drawings were created by an artist under Filchner's direction based on photographs made by Filchner. The purpose of Filchner's 1903-5 "expedition to Tibet [was] to carry out geomagnetic and topographical surveys on the high plateau. In addition to its scientific work the expedition carried out a significant intelligence-gathering role and was contemporaneous with similar missions by Francis Younghusband and others"(Howgego, 1850-1940 Polar Regions etc., F6). "Kumbum Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in present day Qinghai, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo. Its superior monastery is Drepung Monastery, immediately to the west of Lhasa. It was ranked in importance as second only to Lhasa" (Wikipedia).
