On January 19, in the Italian capital, Rome, the Borghese Gallery launched an exhibition titled “From Mongolia to the Baroque World” (Della Mongolia al Barocco Globale), dedicated to the 390th anniversary of the birth of Chingizid Öndör-Gegëen Zanabazar. This was reported by MiddleAsianNews.
The opening ceremony was conducted by the Ambassador of Mongolia to Italy Naranthungalag Tserendorj, the director of the National Museum “Chinggis Khan” Chuluun Sampildondov, and Francesca Cappelletti, the director of the Borghese Gallery.
The exhibition will feature unique works such as the bronze casting of “Green Tara” and the bronze casting of “Öndör-Gegëen Zanabazar,” which are part of Mongolia's historical and cultural heritage. The exhibition will last for a month, after which these works will be displayed at the Museum of Eastern Art in Turin until April 7 as part of the exhibition “Zanabazar: Eyes of the Steppes.”
During the opening, a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed regarding cooperation between the National Museum “Chinggis Khan” and the Italian Institute of Cultural Heritage.
Zanabazar Gombodorj, a Chingizid and the first Mongolian Bogdo Gegëen, ruler of Khalkha under the suzerainty of the Qing Empire, was an outstanding sculptor, the founder of Mongolian portrait painting, and the inventor of the Soyombo script.
He was born on the 25th day of the ninth lunar month in 1635 (November 20) in Yesönzuyl (modern-day Övörkhangai aimag), in the family of Khan Gombodorj from the Borjigin clan. The Gegën-Setsen Khan Sholoi, visiting his parents, “bestowed” the future sculptor with part of his title — “Gegën” (which translates to bright, holy, exalted) and expressed hope that he would become an outstanding lama.
Zanabazar is renowned for his sculptural representations of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and figures of Buddhism. He likely first learned about the technique of casting sculptures while in Lhasa in 1650, observing the work of Nepalese masters during the construction of the Potala Palace. Experts note that his works are closer to the Nepalese tradition than to the Tibetan one.
His most famous works include the White and Green Taras, as well as the Buddha Vajradhara. The image of Green Tara, marked by femininity and sensuality, makes Zanabazar similar to European Renaissance masters; for instance, Professor Rinchen Biamba referred to him as the “Mongolian Michelangelo.” His masterpieces have faced threats of destruction twice: at the end of the 17th century during the Dzungar invasion and in the 1930s during the repressions against the clergy.
Later, Zanabazar's unique style developed within the framework of the so-called “Zanabazar school.”
