The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Galleries are among the most celebrated and well-known wings of the V&A Museum, London’s iconic art and design museum. These Galleries, which showcase some of the most poignant and compelling Buddhist art in Europe and the world, were first opened in 2009. They are located in halls 17–20 and at 47f. Last month, I had the pleasure of revisiting these halls, and was taken through the Galleries by Mr. Nick Barnard, who works as senior curator of South Asia at the V&A Museum.
Years ago, Leeds-born Mr. Barnard was a student at Oxford, and credits his visits to the Ashmolean Museum with igniting within him a love of history, art, and a fascination with Asia. On 26 February, he introduced to Buddhistdoor Global 16 of what he found to be the most representative items within the Galleries. The exquisite items showcased by Mr. Barnard were:
In hall 20:
“Birth of the Buddha” (IM.109-1927)
“Head of the Buddha” (IM.3-1931)
“The Great Departure of the Buddha” (IM.30-1935)
“The Death of the Buddha” (IM.247-1927)
“Reliquary, probably before 100 BC” (IM.219-1921)
“Reliquary, probably 100–1 BC” (IM.221-1921)
“Reliquary, 100–1 BC” (IM.223-1921)
“Pillar from the Buddhist Tree Shrine at Bodhgaya” (IS.1065-1883)
In hall 18:
“The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (the ‘Sanchi Torso’)” (IM.184-1910)
“The Bodhisattva Maitreya” (IS.100-1972)
In hall 17:
“The Mahasiddha Virupa” (IS.12:1-2010)
And in hall 47f:
“Torso of Seated Buddha” (IS.213-2006)
“The Adoration of the Empty Throne (IS.1039-1883)
“Buddha Seated in Meditation” (IS.108-2001)
“Seated Buddha” IM.13-1991)
“The Buddha Amitabha” (A.4-1924)
The last time I set foot in this venerable institution was over a decade ago in 2012, a year before it was closed for renovation in 2013. But to be taken through the halls by a curator as eloquent and knowledgable as Mr. Barnard was an incredible experience. He contextualized each item, bringing the world around its creation to life, and tied it to the diffusion of the Buddha’s teaching in a way that was both impartial yet sympathetic. We filmed for over two hours, but there were simply too many items at the Galleries to do justice to.
His ability to bring the message and world of Buddhist art to the millions of visitors to the V&A each year is a testament to the fact that art need not be an elitist preoccupation, at least not the art that moves and compels us to become better people, or even to search for spiritual realities beyond our mundane lives. Put another way, art grounds us in the beauty and poignancy of this very life, showing us that such spiritual truths are actually found in our immediate, daily existence. Samsara is indeed Nirvana, and Nirvana is samsara. It is truly all dependent on your point of view. On your mind.
