Artwork Details

Title
Vajrakilaya of the Eight Pronouncements
Dimensions
90 1/2 x 34 1/4 x 2 1/4 in. (229.9 x 87 x 5.7 cm)
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Tibet
Classification(s)
paintings
Date
18th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin
Object number
C2006.66.228
HAR Number
284
Published references
*Glenn H. Mullin and Jeff Watt. Female Buddhas: Women of Enlightenment in Tibetan Mystical Art. (Santa Fe, New Mexico: Clear Light Publishers, 2003). Pp. 144-145.* Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A.F. Thurman. Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art and Wisdom of Compassion. (New York: Tibet House, 1999). Cat. 74; Pp. 268.

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Tantrism

Concepts

A religious movement that originated in India around the fifth to seventh century with sacred writings and esoteric teachings and practices transmitted from teacher to student through initiation. These remain an important part of Hinduism and Buddhism today. 

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Divine

Concepts

Buddhist practitioners in some traditions believe that cutting through ordinary perceptions that keep us in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, known as samsara, can create a powerful and enhanced divine identity that leads to enlightenment.

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Wrathful Deities

Figure Type

Protectors of Buddhist teachings who destroy obstacles that impede the path to enlightenment. The more frightening and gruesome their appearance, the greater their power.

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Tibetan Regions

Region

Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.

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