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David Andolfatto

Associate Researcher, Nepal Heritage Documentation Project (NHDP), Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Research, Heidelberg Universität
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  • IdHAL david-andolfatto
  • Google Scholar : https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=T4zAhmsAAAAJ
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David C. Andolfatto J'ai étudié l'archéologie asiatique à l'Université Marc Bloch de Strasbourg (Licence) et à l'Université Paris Sorbonne (Master 1 et 2). Ma recherche de Master portait sur la relation entre l'iconographie et l'architecture dans le contexte des monastères bouddhistes Newar (vallée de Katmandou). À partir de 2009, j'ai travaillé en tant que consultant pour divers projets de préservation du patrimoine au Népal. À la suite des tremblements de terre de 2015, j'ai travaillé comme consultant pour le bureau de l'UNESCO à Katmandou de 2015 à 2018. Durant cette période, j'ai eu l'occasion de diriger des fouilles archéologiques sur des sites patrimoniaux et de coordonner différents projets post-séismes. En parallèle, j'ai mené mes recherches doctorales sur l'archéologie de l'ouest du Népal (Le Pays aux Cent-Vingt-Cinq-Mille Montagnes. Étude Archéologique du Bassin de la Karnali (Népal) entre le XIIe et le XVIe siècle), soutenue en 2019). Cela m'a conduit à documenter des sites et des artefacts historiques dans une région largement méconnue du pays. La publication de la thèse est en cours. Mes travaux actuels comprennent des analyses archéométriques de tsha tshas, des inventaires du patrimoine himalayen et des recherches sur l'archéologie du chamanisme et du médiumnisme himalayens. **Études** 2013-2019 Doctorat, Sorbonne Université, Paris. Discipline : Théorie et Pratique de l’Archéologie. Titre de la thèse : *Le Pays aux Cent-Vingt-Cinq-Mille Montagnes. Étude Archéologique du Bassin de la Karnali (Népal) entre le XIIe et le XVIe siècle)*, dir. Édith Parlier-Renault (Paris Sorbonne) et Marie Lecomte-Tilouine (CNRS, LAS). 2009-2010 Master 2, Université Paris 4 – Paris Sorbonne, Paris. Discipline : Archéologie. Sujet de recherche : *La Relation architecture-iconographie dans les vihāra néwars. Êtude de l'iconographie de quelques monastères bouddhistes de la Vallée de Kathmandu* 2008-2009 Master 1, Université Paris 4 – Paris Sorbonne, Paris. Discipline : Archéologie. Sujet de recherche : *L'Hiranyavanra Mahâviâra de Patan (Népal). Êtude architectural et iconographique* 2005-2008 Licence, Université Marc Bloch, Strasbourg. Discipline : Histoire de l’Art et Archéologie **Expérience Professionnelle** Septembre 2020-janvier 2023 Chercheur associé, Nepal Heritage Documentation Project, Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies, Heidelberg Universität. Septembre 2020-août 2022 Chercheur postdoctorant, ‘*D’os et d’Argile. Étude des objets himalayens et centre-asiatiques contenant des restes humains et préservés dans les collections du Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac*’, Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris. Mai 2015-juin 2018 Consultant, coordinateur des activités de sauvegarde du patrimoine et directeur de fouilles archéologiques, UNESCO Office in Kathmandu. Activités liées à l'après-séisme du 15 avril 2015 : direction des opéra-tions de sauvetage du patrimoine et de fouilles archéologiques, coordina-tion de nombreux programmes de protection du patrimoine, enseigne-ment des techniques d’inventaires et de fouilles archéologiques en con-texte post-catastrophe, etc. 2012-2015 Consultant, conseiller de projet, historien de l'art, Programme de restaura-tion du monastère Itum Bāhāl de Katmandou, Alliance de Protection du Patrimoine Culturel Oriental (ONG). 2009-2011 Consultant, historien de l'art, Inventaire des monuments bouddhiques de la vallée de Katmandou, Alliance de Protection du Patrimoine Culturel Oriental (ONG). **Publications** **Ouvrages et direction d’ouvrages** Andolfatto, D. C. 2023 (à paraître). *The Lions of Yatse. Architecture, Art and History of the Karnali Basin, West Nepal,* Vajra Academics Series, Vajra Books, Katmandou. Andolfatto, D. C. et Schrom, T. (éds.), 2021. *The Restoration of Mangal Bahudvara Caitya. A Tashi Gomang Stupa*, UNESCO, Paris, 127 p. Andolfatto, D. C. 2012. *An Inventory of the Buddhist Sites of the Kath-mandu Valley. Description and Consideration of their Conservation States*, Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, Paris, 320 p. **Articles dans des revues à comité de lecture** Andolfatto, D. C. 2022. « Les temples deval de la Karnali : réflexions sur leur datation et leur vocation », *Arts Asiatiques*, T. 76, 31-46, Paris. Andolfatto, D. C. 2021. « Ripu Malla, a Buddhist Emperor from Western Nepal », *Orientations*, Vol. 52, No. 3, 69-76, Hong Kong. Andolfatto, D. C. 2020. « Recent publications on Central-Himalayan arts and architecture: a review essay », *European Bulletin of Himalayan Research*, No. 55, Centre d’Études Himalayennes (CNRS), 80-99, Paris. **Chapitres dans des ouvrages à comité de lecture** Andolfatto, D. C. et Weinstein M. (à paraître, 2023) « Royal Saugatas across the Himalayas. A reassessment of the Khaśa Malla metal statuary considering archaeological, religious and stylistic materials », in Yannick Laurent et David Pritzker (éds.) *Proceedings of the 16th IATS Conference. Tibetan and Himalayan Statuary*. Andolfatto, D. C. 2023 (manuscrit accepté). « Preliminary remarks on artefacts discovered in a 19th century stūpa », in *The Image as Instrument and Reflection of Ritual in Central Asia and the Himalayas: from Antiquity to the Present*, Series Maior, L’Orientale Università degli Studi, Naples. Andolfatto, D. C. 2023 (manuscrit accepté). « The Mediums’ Dance and Iconographic Silences. Medieval representations of oracular practices in the Karnali River Basin (West Nepal) », in Anne de Sales et Marie Lecomte-Tilouine (éds.), *Encounters with the Invisible. Revisiting Spirit Possession in the Himalayas*, Oxford University Press. Andolfatto, D. C. 2018. « The Importance of iconographic studies for the rehabilitation of Nepalese heritage monuments », in *The Cultural Heritage of Nepal: Before, During and After the 2015 Earthquakes. Current and Future Challenges*, Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alli-ance (éd.), Vajra Books, 47-50, Katmandou. Andolfatto, D. C., Gérard-Bendele, P. et Dusuzeau, L. 2018. « Assessing and investigating Swayambhūnath after the “Gorkha Earthquake” of 2015 », in *The Cultural Heritage of Nepal: Before, During and After the 2015 Earthquakes. Current and Future Challenges*, Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance (éd.), Vajra Books, 115-121, Katmandou. **Autres publications** Andolfatto, D. C. (à paraître, 2023) « An ancestral skill. The decorative motifs of Sinjali architecture (West Nepal) ». Andolfatto, D. C. et Daher C. (en préparation) « Archaeometric analyses of Buddhist clay statues (tsha tsha) ». Andolfatto, D. C. 2015. « The Art Collection of Keśchandra Museum », in *The Restoration of Itum Bāhā Monastery. Intermediary Progress Report*. February 2015, 7-23, Paris-Kathmandu. Andolfatto, D. C. 2014. « Moving the gods. The tunālas of Itum Bāhā (Kathmandu): Iconographic study in the context of a restoration program », in *The Restoration of Itum Bāhā Monastery. Intermediary Progress Report*. May 2014, 7-34, Paris-Kathmandu. Andolfatto, D. C. 2010. *La Relation Architecture-iconographie dans les vihāra néwars. Étude de l’iconographie de quelques monastères bouddhistes de la Vallée de Kathmandu*, mémoire de Master 2, Université Paris IV Sorbonne. Andolfatto, D. C. 2009. *L’Hiranayavarna Māvihāra de Patan. Étude architecturale et iconographique*, mémoire de Master 1, Université Paris IV Sorbonne.
I studied Asian archaeology at Marc Bloch University, Strasbourg (BA) and at Paris Sorbonne University (MA). My Master’s research focused on the relation between iconography and architecture in the context of Newar Buddhist monasteries (Kathmandu Valley). From 2009 I worked as a consultant for various heritage preservation projects in Nepal. Following the 2015 earthquakes, I worked as a consultant for the UNESCO Kathmandu Office from 2015 to 2018. During this period, I had the opportunity of leading archaeological excavations on heritage sites and coordinated different post-earthquakes projects. In parallel I conducted my PhD research on the archaeology of West Nepal (The Country of the Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand Mountains. Archaeological Study of the Karnali Basin (Nepal) between the 12th and 16th century, defended in 2019). This led me to document historical sites and artefacts in a largely overlooked part of the country. The publication of the dissertation is currently underway. My current work includes archaeometric analyses of tsha tshas, Himalayan heritage inventories and research on the archaeology of Himalayan shamanism and mediumnism.

Research domains

Archaeology and Prehistory Art and art history History

Skills

Coordination de projets de sauvegarde du patrimoine Direction de fouilles archéologiques

Publications

Maṅgal Bahudvāra Caitya. The Archaeological Excavation of a 19th Century Tashi Gomang Stūpa in Svayambhū, Nepal

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Guest Lecture, Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Kathmandu University, Centre for Buddhist Studies, Nov 2023, Kathmandu, Nepal
Conference papers halshs-04323293v1

Hell on Earth. A Reassessment of Torture Scenes from Newari Struts

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Heaven and Hell and What Lies Between: Representing the Afterlife from Central Asia to the Himalayas, Société Européene pour l’Etude des Civilisations de l’Himalaya et de l’Asie Centrale (SEECHAC, European Society for the Study of Central Asian and Himalayan Civilisations); University of Warsaw. The Faculty of Oriental Studies and The Faculty of Journalism, Information and Book Studies, Nov 2023, Warsaw, Poland
Conference papers halshs-04319649v1

The tsha tsha and the microscope. Archaeometric and ethno-archaeological study of Buddhist clay objects

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Ritual and Materiality in Buddhism and Asian Religions, Princeton University, Jun 2023, Princeton, United States
Conference papers halshs-04319657v1

Far-away visitors of Buṅgadyaḥ. The Khaśa Mallas of west Nepal and Newar Buddhism

David Cornélius Andolfatto
European Conference for South Asian Studies (ECSAS), The European Association for South Asian Studies, Jul 2023, Torino, Italy
Conference papers halshs-04319653v1

Medieval architecture in west and far-west Nepal. New insights into its origins and developments from the 8th to the 17th century

David Cornélius Andolfatto
International Conference on Sudurpaschim Studies: Heritage, Innovation and Transformation, DSD Project, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Oxford University; Britain-Nepal Academic Council; Far Western University, Nepal (सुदूरपश्चिम विश्वविद्यालय, नेपाल), Dec 2022, Mahendranagar, Nepal
Conference papers hal-03955448v1

A Volcano in the Himalayas. The Persian notes of a map of the Ganges and western Nepal from 1784

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Interactions between Islamic and Indic societies in South and South-East Asia: Comparative perspectives, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Feb 2022, Marseille, France
Conference papers hal-04005248v1

The Khaśa Malla metal statuary. A reassessment considering archaeological, religious and stylistic materials

David Cornélius Andolfatto , Laura Weinstein
16th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS), Univerzita Karlova, Jul 2022, Prague, Czech Republic
Conference papers hal-04005252v1

Maṅgal Bahudvāra Caitya. The archaeological excavation of a 19th Cen-tury Tashi Gomang Stūpa in Svayambhū, Nepal

David Cornélius Andolfatto
16th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS), Univerzita Karlova, Jul 2022, Prague, Czech Republic
Conference papers hal-04005255v1

Maṅgal Bahudvāra Caitya. The archaeological excavation of a 19th Century Tashi Gomang Stūpa in Svayambhū, Nepal

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Tibetan & Himalayan Studies Lecture Series, Institute for Asian and African Studies. Central Asian Seminar. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin., Nov 2022, Berlin, Germany
Conference papers hal-04005246v1

The Fire Temples of Dullu (West Nepal). Towards an Archaeology of the ‘Territory of the Flames’

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Kucha and Beyond. Divine and Human Landscapes from Central Asia to the Himalayas, Universität Leipzig, Nov 2021, Leipzig, Germany
Conference papers hal-04005250v1

Archéologie post-tremblements de terre à Svayambhu (Kathmandu, Népal)

David Cornélius Andolfatto
La recherche française au Népal : état des lieux et perspectives, Réseau Chercheurs Népal (RCN), May 2019, Inalco, Paris, France
Conference papers hal-04005264v1

Archaeology of Himalayan Mediumnism. New Material for the History of Shamanism in Nepal

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Martin Chautari Seminar Series, Martin Chautari, Apr 2019, Katmandou, Nepal
Conference papers hal-04005268v1

Au « Pays des Khaś ». Nouvelles données archéologiques sur l’art et l’histoire du Népal occidental

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Conférences de la Société Européenne pour l’Étude des Civilisations de l’Himalaya et de l’Asie Centrale (SEECHAC), Société Européenne pour l’Étude des Civilisations de l’Himalaya et de l’Asie Centrale (SEECHAC), Nov 2019, Paris, France
Conference papers hal-04005260v1

The tradition of temples’ ornamentation in West Nepal. Images, semantic and ritual context in the Karnali region, from the 12th century to present

David Cornélius Andolfatto
5th SEECHAC Colloquium ‘The Image as Instrument and as Reflection of Ritual in Central Asia and the Himalaya: from Antiquity to the Present’, Università di Napoli “L’Orientale”, Nov 2018, Naples, Italy
Conference papers hal-04005272v1

The Dance of the Dhāmis. Medieval Representations of Oracular Cults in West Nepal: Towards an Archaeology of Himalayan Mediumism?

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Encounters with the Invisible Revisiting Possession in the Himalayas in its Material and Narrative Aspects, Marie Lecomte-Tilouine; Anne de Sales, Dec 2017, Marçay, France
Conference papers hal-04005285v1

The Mediums’ Dance and Iconographic Silences. Medieval representations of oracular practices in the Karnali River Basin (West Nepal)

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Marie Lecomte-Tilouine; Anne de Sales. Encounters with the Invisible. Revisiting Spirit Possession in the Himalayas, Routledge, 2024, 9781032791944
Book sections halshs-04709047v1

An Ancestral Skill. The Decorative Motifs of Sinjali Architecture, West Nepal

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Susmita Basu Majumdar. Transcending Boundaries: Premodern Cultural Transactions across Asia, Essays in Honour of Osmund Bopearachchi, Primus Books, pp.409-427, 2024, 978-93-6177-059-3
Book sections halshs-04707110v1

The tunālas of Itum Bāhā (Kathmandu): Iconographic study in the context of a restoration program

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Niels Gutschow; Thomas Schrom; Rohit Ranjitkar. Restoration of Itumbāhā, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust, 2023
Book sections halshs-04707132v1
Image document

The tunālas of Itum Bāhāh

David Cornélius Andolfatto
Niels Gutschow; Thomas Schrom; Rohit Kumar Ranjitkar. Restoration of Itumbāhā, RICH Publishers, pp.142-157, 2023, 978-9937-1-3637-2
Book sections halshs-04199737v1
Image document

Assessing and investigating Swayambhūnath after the “Gorkha Earthquake” of 2015

David Cornélius Andolfatto , Ludovic Dusuzeau , Pierre Gérard-Bendélé
The Cultural Heritage of Nepal: Before, During and After the 2015 Earthquakes. Current and Future Challenges, 2018
Book sections hal-03901003v1
Image document

The Importance of Iconographic Studies for the Rehabilitation of Nepalese Heritage Monuments

David Cornélius Andolfatto
The Cultural Heritage of Nepal: Before, During and After the 2015 Earthquakes. Current and Future Challenges, 2018
Book sections hal-03900994v1