Gyantse

Gyantse

2001.59.14.10.1 (Film negative)

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Key Information

Photographer

Hugh E. Richardson

Collection

Hugh Richardson

Date of Photo

1948 - 1950

Region

Gyantse > Palkhor Chode

Accession number

2001.59.14.10.1

Image Dimensions

55 x 43 mm

View of Gyantse town and fortress, possibly from the west.

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated August 2001

Donated by

The executors of the estate of Hugh E. Richardson

Expedition

Hugh E. Richardson

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Notes on negative album (outer case) - (on front) 'Kodak NEGATIVE FILE' in red and yellow lettering and a white label with 'Z.' in black ink'; (on reverse) 'Kangchenjunga. Gangtok Dances. RETURN of DL. Yak dancers etc. BIRDS etc.'; the letter 'A' in the top left hand corner and '8' in the right hand corner all written in white. (On spine on yellow "Subjects" label) ' GANGTOK . LHASA . PEOPLE . D.L. animals Birds; [Dates] 1936-40' written in Richardson's hand in blue ink; (below the label) the number '8' in white overwritten by the letter 'A' in pencil. Notes on negative album - (on cover) '8, Kangchenjunga. Gangtok Dances. RETURN of DL 1939. Yak dancers. Lhamo. Officials Tests. BIRDS...'. (On the spine) "KODAK NEGATIVE FILE 2 1/4 X 2 1/4 IN. (6 X 6 CM.) in embossed gold lettering; the letter "A" in white in Richardson's hand. Notes on negative index inside the negative album under 'Subject' - 'GYANTSE Dzong'. [KC 11/2/2006]

Manual Catalogues -


Manual Catalogues - '10,11,12 from West and South West, showing Turquoise bridge in centre' (Typewritten list of contents in the album by Richardson. At the top of the page 'Book 8 - Z' is handwritten. The heading for this list is, 'Album in case, marked 'Z' on case. The list of contents in album should be ignored. Following is the proper list.') [KC 10/2/2006]

Other Information - Background: Richardson mentions this site in High Peaks, Pure Earth , London: Serindia Publications, 1998, p. 325, " ... the thriving town of Gyantse (Rgyal-rtse) (1936-50), well-placed for trade with both Shigatse (Gzhis-ka-rtse) and Lhasa and on the route to India. It is rich in art and architecture of the fifteenth century created by the Gtsang prince,Rab-brtan kun-bzang 'phags-pa. He enlarged and embellished the temple founded by his father near the rdzong which crowns the summit of the great rock overhanging the town. But his greatest achievements were the enlargement or virtual reconstruction of the Dpal-'khor Chos-sde temple and the building of the magnificent Sku-'bum mchod-rten (1936-50). The former is the heart of a community of monastic college residences spread over an extensive hillside enclosed by a fortified wall. Although the Sa-skya-pa scholl originally predominated, all other religious schools were represented here."

Other Information - Location: F Spencer Chapman describes the fortress at Gyantse in
Lhasa: The Holy City, 1938, London: Chatto and Windus, "To reach the dzong we rode up and up a rough roadway. Massive wooden gates with crudely stuffed wild yaks and mastiffshanging in the rafters as emblems of ferocity.//... The dzong is full of small monasteries. ... The dzong which is half ruined, is built tier upon tier to the summit of the steep rock; ... Went right to the top. There are no staircases so that we had to pull the ladder up from roof to roof. ... Superb view:green barley fields, blue winding rivers, russet and sienna hills. The big monastery of Tse-chen lies on the southern side of a rocky hill a mile or two to the north-east." (pp. 54-5) [KC 11/2/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Gyantse" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.59.14.10.1.html>.

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