The art and architecture of India - Buddhist, Hindu, Jain (Art Ebook)

INDIA, NEPAL, AND TIBET 271
royalty. 14 The phurbus or magic daggers were
used by Tibetan sorcerers to stab the evil spirits
of the air [210]. The raging masks of Hayagriva
on the hilt recall the demoniacal types of Indian
sculpture of the Pala Period of the age of the
Hindu Dynasties. 15 Surviving Tibetan textiles,
such as the ketas or scarves often used as coverings
for tankas, are either of Chinese weave or
made in imitation of Chinese designs. Among
the occasional examples of ivory carving from
Tibet is a beautiful plaque in the Victoria and
Albert Museum, with representations of scenes
from the life of Buddha [211]. Both the style of
the individual figures and the iconography of
the episodes from the sacred story are, like so
much of the art of the trans-Himalayan kingdom,
derived from the Pala sculpture of
Bengal. 16
210. Phurbu from Tibet.
London, British Museum
211. Ivory plaque with scenes
from the life of Buddha from Tibet.
London, Victoria and Albert Museum