Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Hugh E. Richardson

Date of Photo

October 18th 1936

Region

Lhasa Area > Sera > Assembly Hall

Accession number

BMR.86.1.21.3

A passageway into the Assembly Hall at Sera monastery. Snow lions carved over the doorway, a guardian emblem of Tibet. Textile banner hanging above and elaborately carved woodwork visible around doorway

Further Information

Photographic Process

Print gelatin silver

Expedition

British Diplomatic Mission to Lhasa 1936-37

Photo also owned by

Donated to the British Museum in 1986 by Hugh E. Richardson

Previous Catologue Number

C.8.24 [view film roll]

Related Collections

F. S. Chapman Collection in the Pitt Rivers Museum

This Image also appears in another collection

1998.131.365

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - An asterisk has placed alongside this image in the album [MS 12/06/2006]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Caption in Chapman's hand-written list of negatives made whilst on the Mission to Lhasa, 1936-7 [See PRM Manuscripts Collection]: 'Thro’ a Sera doorway'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 2: ‘19/2 - Inside Drepung Monastery. Padded cushions for the monks’. Note: Although the latter comment identifies this as being in Drepung Monastery, the photographic reference number indicates that this is one of a series of images taken in Sera [MS 22/03/2006]

Other Information - Album: This image appears alongside three others of Sera and Drepung Monasteries on page 21 of Hugh Richardson's album 'Lhasa 1936' [MS 12/06/2006]

Other Information - Cultural Background

Other Information - Cultural Background: Within the main Assembly Hall there would be a number of smaller alcoves where people could sit for teaching purposes etc. [TS 7/2/2005]

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'C.8' comprise a group of negatives containing images of the Potala and Lhasa, officials coming through Pargo Kaling, the Turquoise Bridge, Tsarong, Trimon, views from and of Sera, a woman washing clothes, a shepherd with a sling and football teams. They seem to have been taken October 13th - 20th 1936 [MS 16/03/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Doorway leading to Assembly Hall, Sera " 05 Dec. 2006. The British Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_BMR.86.1.21.3.html>.

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The Pitt Rivers Museum

The British Museum

Doorway leading to Assembly Hall, Sera