Artwork Details

Title
Red Avalokiteshvara
Dimensions
24 x 16 3/4 in. (61 x 42.5 cm)
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Tibet or Nepal
Classification(s)
paintings
Date
19th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation
Object number
F1996.18.2
HAR Number
469
Published references
* Buhnemann, Gudrun, and Kasinatha Tamota. 2012. The Life of the Buddha: Buddhist and Saiva iconography and Visual Narratives in ArtistsÆ Sketchbooks from Nepal. Bhairahawa, Nepal: Lumbini International Research Institute. pl. 5 pp. 91.

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Compassion

Concepts

The cultivation of a strong aspiration to help sentient beings overcome suffering. In Buddhist Mahayana teaching, compassion is the seed for attaining full enlightenment.  

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Ritual

Concepts

Prescribed practices that carry symbolic meaning and value within a specific tradition and are intended to attain a desired outcome. Rituals are usually done as part of a ceremony or regular routine.

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Power

Concepts

A kind of energy that can be used, individually and collectively, to effect change.

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Bodhisattvas

Figure Type

Beings who aspire to become fully awakened like the Buddha and are dedicated to helping others on the path to enlightenment.

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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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Nepalese Regions

Region

The Himalayan kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley were significant centers of Buddhist culture. Nepalese kings, Buddhist institutions, and ordinary people patronized the vibrant art guilds. The artistic traditions of the regions are well-known in Tibetan areas and beyond, and Newar artists have always been in high demand throughout Tibetan regions and Inner Asia.

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