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Yungdron Dorje Pal (1284–1365) subduing a wrathful demon while attended by a meditation deity, Mahakala and other monks.

Tibetan

Artwork Details

Yungdron Dorje Pal (1284–1365) subduing a wrathful demon while attended by a meditation deity, Mahakala and other monks.
1700-1750
Tibetan
ink and gouache on cotton
4 ft. x 26 ½ in. x 1/2 in. (121.92 x 67.31 x 1.27 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Josselyn Van Tyne
1973/1.719

Description

Subject Matter:

A portrait of a lama (teacher), dressed in red and monk's robes and a red pandita (scholar's) hat, in confrontation with a blue-faced, three-eyed demon. The lama may be tentatively identified as the early 14th-century master Yungdron Dorje Pal. He is shown here holding a 'kila' dagger in his right hand, while he extends his right hand to offer a skull cup to the blue demon.
Three monks in red robes, two of whom wear folded pandita hats, look on the scene from the lower left corner; in the lower right-hand corner, the blue-skinned dharmapala Mahakala tramples a prone figure. To the viewer's upper left is a meditation deity, a yab-yum pair with flame-red skin. At the upper right, a monk-scholar sits calmly within a blue orb, reading from a text.
Other paintings with this same composition are illustated on http://wwe.himalayanart.org, as follows:
• Rubin Museum of Art in New York City, acc. #F1997.9.1. A
• Erie Art Museum (accession number not given), also in very poor condition
• Tibet house Museum, New Delhi

Physical Description:

A portable painting done in ink and gouache on loose-weave, primed cotton, surround by two strips of fabric. This painting has suffered greatly from water damage, running the pigments together.

Usage Rights:

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