Buddhist Sacred Art from Bhutan in danger to be lost for ever

Aug. 14, 2009 - PRLog -- “Save Our Sacred Buddhist Original Art Treasures”
from Bhutan by finding a Home of Honor!
Rescue the worlds Largest Private Buddhist Textile Art Heritage Collection from Bhutan! We seek immediate funding either through a benefactor and/or a few individual piece sales. This is the only opportunity that we will offer a few rare individual pieces to the Friends of Buddhism. Once we receive initial funding we will be able to reveal the Collection to the world and find its permanent Home of Honor. We sincerely ask YOU, Friend of Buddhism, to give your support to this noble cause.
For 25 years the largest Private Buddhist Art Heritage Collection from Bhutan has been stored away and never seen by anyone! This Collection consists primarily of antique Buddhist textiles and some sacred religious artifacts from Bhutan. Recently this unique collection was endangered in California by major fires and earthquakes… What a tragic loss to the Buddhist world and to Buddhist Art Cultural Heritage IF this sacred Collection, which has never been seen and fully documented in its entirety, were to perish. The next vital step is to seek funding for the Collection’s rescue!
The collector Mr. Bartholomew is a world renowned cultural anthropologist and published author of the first definitive book on Bhutan Textile Art and Culture “Thunder Dragon Textiles from Bhutan,” Shikosha (Publisher), Kyoto, Japan, 1985. Mr. Bartholomew has collected nearly all of his pieces between 1976–1982. This is a period of time when Mr. Bartholomew alone was negotiating primarily through barter exclusively with the Bhutanese Royal Families, high-ranking members of the Royal Government of Bhutan, and top religious leaders/Rimpoches of Buddhism in Bhutan. Most of this Collection was acquired outside of Bhutan in India and Nepal. These historical facts of the Provenance of this Collection makes it unique to the world! “Provenance” is the preeminent factor in determining the cultural art historical significance, rarity, and value of any particular art object. The Bartholomew Collection consists of hundreds of heirloom pieces with full Provenance, truly making it a priceless Sacred Buddhist Art Collection. During the 1970’s and 1980’s 10 major international museums have purchased Bhutanese textiles directly from Mr. Bartholomew to augment their own permanent collections of Asian textile art.
The curator of the International Folk Art Museum of Santa Fe, New Mexico stated in 1982 that “Mr. Bartholomew, having gained the friendship of the Royal Family, is one of the few individuals who has been able to document, collect, display and sell the unusual textiles of this remote Kingdom.”
The Wall Street Journal (“Bhutan’s Lost Art”, Aug. 9th 2001) calls Mr. Bartholomew a world-recognized expert on Bhutan textiles, "an American...who has amassed the world's greatest collection of textiles from the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan." The Asian Wall Street Journal adds (Aug. 11th 2001) that it was Mr. Bartholomew “who first revealed to the world the exceptional beauty of weavings from Bhutan.”
Mr. Bartholomew is currently in ongoing discussions with Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan and the Royal Government of Bhutan since his third Royal Government Minister invitation to Bhutan in June, 1999. In May 2009, the Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley (Mr. Bartholomew’s oldest friend) has stated in a letter through his Foreign Minister that “I am sure you (Mr. Bartholomew) will be able to take the right decision in the best interest of the very important art collection.”
The Royal Family and the Royal Government of Bhutan have stated clearly that the proprietary rights and future placement, including sales and exhibitions of this unique Collection, would be solely determined and executed by Mr. Bartholomew or subsequent owners, with no violation or infringement upon the Royal Government of Bhutan.
NOW the time has come to rescue and reveal the Collection and our first step is calling on you, Friends of Buddhism, for your valuable support.

Presently, Mr. Bartholomew is living in Laos and devoted to two philanthropic causes for the past 11 years. He has established the GreenHeart Foundation, a non-profit organization which is in partnership with the Lao government, to help achieve the following two goals:
1. A world awareness campaign for the removal of UXO Bombs (Un eXploded Ordinances) that continue to threaten villager’s lives as well as kill hundreds of innocent people (mostly children!) every year in Laos.
2.  Preserve the unique textile weaving traditions of the Laotians, and create sustainable livelihoods for young village girls who are often victims of the child sex industry.
Mr. Bartholomew wants to fully dedicate himself to the GeenHeart Foundation and to raising his 3 young daughters. Laos is his passion now, and he is devoted to finding a future Home of Honor for his entire Collection.
Some of the historical sacred Buddhist heirlooms that are in the Collection are personal treasures from His Holiness the Karmapa’s lineage. Mr. Bartholomew’s current mission is to go to India this month to personally meet with three of his Buddhist teachers. This includes meeting once again with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness the 17th Karmapa at which time he will present them with some “GIFTS” from the Bartholomew Collection. The 16th Karmapa was Mr. Bartholomew’s personal “Root Lama” and teacher for the past 30 years. The objective of this visit will be to hopefully receive blessings, guidance  and potential support for the endeavors of the S.O.S - “B.O.A.T” campaign.

We hope that this story will raise interest, concern and support in finding a Buddhist Benefactor/Buyer for a few of these Buddhist Cultural Art Heritage Treasures.

Please write us about any interest, suggestions or further queries you may have:
admin@BhutanTextiles.com