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Summary: The Buddhist Murals of Pagan
Review: Burma's ancient capital of Pagan is a UNESCO world heritage site consisting of over 100 medieval (9th century - 13th century) Buddhist temples, decorated inside and out with stunning architecture and floor-to-ceiling paintings. At last, thanks to Claudine Bautze-Picron and her photographer husband, we have an up-to-date art-historical documentation of these rare and beautiful murals, that is both accessible and affordable to the general reader. The centerpiece of the book, for most readers, will be its 254 full-color photographs of the murals. You have never seen the murals like this, even if you have previously visited Pagan; paintings which are typically lost in the darkness of temple interiors, and obscured in shadowed corners and dim recesses, are here illuminated in superb detail and full color rendering. Equally valuable is the book's expert text. In the first half of the book, the author explains the basic iconographic elements of the temples (Buddha and his life, Bodhisattvas, other celestial beings, and additional decorations) and shows where and how they are located in particular temples. Part two of the book describes the decoration in each temple, and can be used as a guidebook if you are visiting the site. Experts will especially appreciate the scholarly endnotes that expand on themes asserted in the body of the text. A most important point of this book is that the inside decoration of the temples mirrors the outside. This book does not discuss the outside, but fortunately there is another book, "Imperial Pagan" by Paul Strachan, that explains the outside temple architecture in detail. These two books fit together marvelously well, and I highly recommend that you buy them both together to get the best possible view of the beautiful temples of Pagan.
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