Tibetan Painted Scrolls. Giuseppe Tucci. Published by La Libreria dello Stato, Rome. 1949. 3 Volumes: 2 of text, plus Portfolio with 256 plates. Rome: La Libreria dello Stato, 1949. Numbered Limited edition, # 544/750. Folio; Bound in original rust cloth with gilt tooling to front boards and spines. Plates housed in folio case. The Large Folio which housed the loose plates is the size of a writing table. Giuseppe Tucci (1894-1984) was an Italian orientalist who specialized in the study of Tibet and the history of Buddhism. Tucci spoke and read multiple languages, including Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Bengali, and several European languages, and his travels and academic interests matched the breadth of his linguistic knowledge. However, he is best remembered for his travels in and writings about Tibet. Tucci completed eight separate expeditions in Tibet between 1928 and 1948, and was able to visit sites (such as the Samye monastery in Lhasa) which western travellers had never before been permitted to enter, and which were subsequently destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Tibetan Painted Scrolls was Tucci's magnum opus. My knowledge of Tankha is from this singular book. Dalai Lama has a copy in his collection and refers to it often.
Tibetan Painted Scrolls
