Abstract

How was space visualised in Tibet, and how were cosmological and geographical conceptions of space brought together in visual representations? Modern scholarship has generally distinguished between cosmographical paintings and geographical maps as separate forms of representing space. I argue that this distinction reflects modern analytical categories rather than Tibetan visual conceptions of space. Focusing primarily on cosmographical paintings, pilgrimage maps, thangkas, and manuscript maps from nineteenth-century Tibet, while also considering selected examples from the twentieth century, my talk explores how Buddhist cosmological ideas informed the representation of landscapes, sacred sites, and pilgrimage routes. Rather than functioning exclusively as devotional images or practical maps, these artefacts integrated cosmological and geographical knowledge into shared visual frameworks that shaped orientation, movement, and religious experience. Drawing on approaches from the history of cartography, visual culture, and material culture studies, I show how these objects represented, organized, and communicated spatial knowledge. I suggest that cosmographical paintings and maps can be more fruitfully understood as complementary modes of representing space rather than as separate visual genres. By highlighting the close relationship between cosmology and geography, my talk contributes to current discussions on the visual representation of space and the material history of knowledge in Tibet and Central Asia.

Biography

Diana Lange is professor for History and Cultures of Central Asia at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. She has specialized on Tibet and the Himalayas as well as East Asia as primary research areas and has wide-ranging interests including the history of knowledge and exploration, material and visual cultures, history of mapping and cartography, and cultural interactions.