Although early in its history Tibetan art was predominantly oriented toward India, Tibetan culture both influenced and absorbed successive Chinese artistic traditions. These connections were particularly close during periods when the emperor who ruled China adopted Tibetan Buddhism and invited Tibetan teachers to court.
Hence Chinese imperial workshops adopted Tibetan Buddhist artistic conventions, and Tibet became a repository of Chinese art. These Chinese objects collected in Tibet gradually inspired Tibetan artists to adopt certain Chinese artistic conventions, such as landscape, into Tibetan painting.
Mongolians were intimately involved in Tibetan affairs during the Mongol Empire (ca. 1206-1368), when they ruled both Tibet and China. Later, with the rise of the Geluk School, Mongolians directly aligned with branches of Tibetan Buddhism and converted to the religion. The Buddhist art of Mongolia was thus similar to that of Tibet but distinctive in certain subjects, materials, and styles.
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Mongolia
18th century
This six-armed form of Mahakala in this dynamic pose is one of the principal protectors of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism, to which most Mongolians have adhered since the late sixteenth century. Mahakala has been a special object of veneration in Mongolia since the thirteenth century, when he served as the state protector of the Mongolian Empire. One of Mahakala’s primary roles is to overcome obstacles to enlightenment. Mahakala is depicted trampling an elephant-headed god, who represents such obstacles.
Several details underscore the artist’s ingenuity in this masterfully executed sculpture, including the use of a silver patina in the reclining elephant-headed figure’s skin as contrasted with his gold ornaments and clothing, as well as the individual articulation of the facial expressions on the severed heads strung together around Mahakala’s waist.
Learn more about the role of Mahakala images in the Mongol court
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