Mahasiddha Virupa
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Mahasiddhas were advanced tantric practitioners from all walks of society. In a famous tale, Virupa, one of eighty-four mahasiddhas, insatiably consumes alcohol at a tavern. Rather than settle his tab by the stipulated time, he deploys tantric powers to halt the sun in its path, continuing to imbibe until the local ruler pays his bill. Here, Virupa’s left hand touches the gold-ringed disk of the sun, while drinking vessels are displayed to his left. This thangka is remarkable for its eighty-two vignettes depicting additional mahasiddhas, who are referenced in an inscription on the verso recording the painting’s consecration by the important abbot and scholar Sakya Pandita (1182–1251).
Artwork Details
- Title: Mahasiddha Virupa
- Date: second quarter 13th century
- Culture: Central Tibet
- Medium: Distemper and gold on cloth
- Dimensions: Image: 22 x 19 5/8 in. (55.9 x 49.9 cm)
Framed: 30 1/2 x 28 in. (77.5 x 71.1 cm); est. wt. 9 lbs. (4.1 kg) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by The Kronos Collections
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art