This is a catalogue of an exhibition which opened in Nov 2004 at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, California. This catalogue does not merely follow the genre's traditional format but seeks to communicate both the aesthetic significance of these exceptional works of art and the important role they have played over the centuries in the daily and spiritual lives of the people of Tibet. The works in the exhibition therefore were selected both for their aesthetic and historical importance, and most are being publicly displayed for the first time. All are lavishly illustrated in colour, and each is accompanied by details of type, date, dimensions and description of decoration and materials.