Mesmerizing Mandalas at The Met

Mandalas—magnificent maps of the universe that traditionally conceptualized the path to enlightenment—are the subject of a new exhibition at The Met Fifth Avenue. On view from September 19, 2024, through January 12, 2025, Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet explores the imagery of Himalayan Buddhist devotional art through over 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles, instruments, and an array of ritual objects, mostly dating between the 12th and 15th centuries. 

This dazzling visual experience provides a roadmap for understanding Himalayan Buddhist worship through early masterworks, juxtaposed with a newly commissioned contemporary installation by Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol (b. Kathmandu, 1982).

The Museum is home to an expanse of mandalas made across cultures and through the centuries. Among them is a fabulous late 19th–early 20th-century Tibetan amulet box, or ga'u, which inspired our Tibetan Mandala Jewelry.

Reimagined as a pendant necklace, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet, the original box comprises two intersecting squares that symbolize crossed vajras, or thunderbolts, suggesting the stability of Buddhism, while its striking gold, beryl, ruby, emerald, sapphire, and turquoise embellishments represent the crystalline nature of the heavens.

Amulet boxes typically contained written or printed texts consecrated by monks, and often included pieces of cloth from an important lama's robes. The eye-catching example in The Met collection belonged to a larger jewelry ensemble owned by a noblewoman, who would have likely worn the box around her neck for protection. 

Presented alongside The Met's exhibition, this beautiful book provides a deep dive into the distinctive Tibetan approach to creating mandalas, exploring how the form crossed over from India into Tibet, and how continuous exchanges of art and ideas between the two cultures—led by monks and spiritual teachers—gave rise to a uniquely Tibetan style of Buddhist imagery. 

Plus, share highlights of the show with our celebratory pack of 10 postcards, available exclusively in-store.

Shop with us in-store and online, and be sure to pay a visit to The Met Fifth Avenue to see Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet.