Description
The painting depicts the Buddhist protector who holds (pani) the thunder bolt (vajra) in his right hand. He kneels in reverence and holds his left hand in a gesture of salute. This unusual image appears to have been the vision of a Tibetan monastic patriarch known for creating his own inventive paintings and sculptures.
Sewn to the painting are Chinese damask borders and rare embroideries dating to the Chinese Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). They depict man-eagle figures known as Garuda, a form occasionally assumed by Vajrapani.
Sewn to the painting are Chinese damask borders and rare embroideries dating to the Chinese Yuan dynasty (1279–1368). They depict man-eagle figures known as Garuda, a form occasionally assumed by Vajrapani.
Provenance
(Sara Tremayne, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1989); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1989–)
Accession Number
1989.11
Medium
Painting: gum tempera, gold, and silver on silk; lateral borders: silk damask with needleloop embroidery; top and bottom panels: embroidered silk, lead, and silver paper; curtain: silk tabby; dowels: wood, rawhide, and leather
Dimensions
Overall: 114.6 x 44.5 cm (45 1/8 x 17 1/2 in.)
Classification
Embroidery
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
