Skip to Main Content

Vajrapani Embroidered Mount with Garuda

painting 1600s, embroidery c. 1300
(Tibetan, 1604–1674)
China and Tibet, Embroidery: China, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); painting: Tibet, 17th century
Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on silk
Overall: 114.6 x 44.5 cm (45 1/8 x 17 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1989.11.a
Location: not on view
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

Vajrapani sometimes takes the form of Garuda, enemy of snakes.

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.
Vajrapani Embroidered Mount with Garuda

Vajrapani Embroidered Mount with Garuda

painting 1600s, embroidery c. 1300

Choying Dorje, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa

(Tibetan, 1604–1674)
China and Tibet, Embroidery: China, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); painting: Tibet, 17th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.