IDNO

P.96959.WIL

Description

The Serpent Palace, in the foreground, and the Snake Temple beside the lake that surrounds the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace. The buildings are of the Han architectural style with surrounding textile awnings attached to the rooves, and are situated amongst planting with the foot bridge leading up to the temple on the left. [JD 16/5/2008]

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(58-135 where taken in Lhasa.)
62a/b/c. “The Dalai Lama’s garden at Norbhu-lingka 21.8.33”
MPOW: 99
Norbhu-lingka is the summer palace of the Dalai Lama.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

C Asia; Tibet; Lhasa; Norbu Lingka; Snake Temple; Serpent Palace

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

21 August 1933

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Bibliographical Reference: The Williamson’s visit to Norbulingka is mentioned in Williamson, Margaret, 1987. Memoirs of a Political Officer’s Wife (Wisdom Publication, London) pp.99-102, and pp.122-123, which has the following test:
“Another visit I remeber well was one we made to the grounds of the Norbhu [sic] Lingka. We were escorted round teh beautifully kept gardens by the Kunphel-la dn Ringang. We followed flagged paths that wove through them and admired the profusion of blooms on every side. ...
In a small rest-house the Dalai Lama kept his collection of exquisite jade carvings and cloisonne brought back with him from his exile in China. There was also a lake in which a delightful little temple had been built. This was surrounded by stone balustrades and pots of flowers, and on the outside walls were painted panels. Here a scribe was seated cross-legged, so deeply engrossed in his work that his nose nearly touched the paper.” [JD 16/5/2008]

Place: “Norbulingka is “the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas situated about 4 km to the west of Lhasa and situated in a large open area. Most of the main buildings were constructed during the 18th century by the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas.” [Source: Cech’s list, JD 15/5/2008]

Place: “Norbulingka [is] The Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government was selected by the seventh Dalai Lama in the 18th century on account of its medicinal spring. The palace complex was notable for its ornate assembly halls and shrine rooms as well as for its extensive gardens.” [Source: The Tibet Album, http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/glossary.php#Shol, JD 16/5/2008]

Place: “Norbulingka, meaning "Treasure Park", was first built in the 1740s. As a result of continuous expansion by the Dalai Lamas, it covers an area of 40 hectares. The Qing magistrate dispatched to Tibet built the original palace for His Holiness, the Seventh Dalai Lama who often visited the area. In 1751, the Seventh Dalai Lama began construction on the Kelsang Potrang as his palace where he ruled and received officials and high lamas. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama lived in the Kelsang Potrang during the construction of his new palace. Construction seldom stopped under the reigns of different Dalai Lamas. In 1956 the Fourteenth Dalai Lama finished his own palace - Takten Migyur Potrang, usually called the New Summer Palace. In the past, each spring a grand procession of lamas would follow the Dalai Lama to move into the park. Before 1959, common people had no access to the palace.” [Source: Tibet Travel, www.tibettravel.org, JD 16/5/2008]

Transcription: The transcription of this album by Mark Turin and Sara Shneiderman was carried out with reference to Krystina Cech’s catalogue list alone. Alex Nadin has since revised their cataloguing by systematically matching their records to the images. Margaret Williamson’s handwritten captions for photographs have now been transcribed into the Inscription field, and Cech’s descriptions appear in the Description field. Correct entries for Place, Named Person and Other Nos. have also been entered by Alex Nadin. [Sudeshna Guha 29/10/2002]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 16/5/2008]