January/February 2001

History and Art History professor Robert DeCaroli will use the donated 19th-century painting as a teaching aid in his courses.

Collector Donates Tibetan Art By Carrie Secondo Kenneth X. Robbins, a well-known collector of Indian art and an expert on 18th- and 19th-century royal states in India, has donated a 19th-century Tibetan thanka painting to the Department of History and Art History. The painting depicts a historical Buddha seated in the center of the work, surrounded by scenes from his life, including his birth and death. This work--like most thanka paintings--is on silk and was created to hang inside a Tibetan Buddhist monastery where it would be used for teaching and meditation. Robert DeCaroli, History and Art History, was approached by the donor in early fall. “Robbins generously offered this painting as a gift to George Mason’s Department of History and Art History with the expectation that it be used in teaching and in an effort to raise student interest in South Asian art,” he says. Robbins, a practicing psychiatrist, began collecting and studying Indian and Asian art 30 years ago. After being introduced to DeCaroli by History and Art History professor Marion Deshmukh, Robbins decided to donate this particular piece to help DeCaroli’s efforts to raise awareness of Asian art at George Mason. The work will be used as a teaching aid in several art history courses, including Survey of Asian Art and Textiles and Trade. Currently, History and Art History is carefully considering the methods and costs involved in framing the work and choosing a public place on campus to display it once the framing is complete. For more information, contact DeCaroli at x33479 or rdecarol@gmu.edu.