Ekajata Attribute Mandala
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Ekajata is an aggressive form of Tara and a guardian of secret mantras for the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. This mandala exhibits a rare composition and incorporates grisly visuals to emphasize ritual efficacy. Two of Ekajata’s attributes—a human heart and a trident—replace her figural representation in the painting’s innermost zone, which is inscribed within triangular and circular infernos. The square palace resembles a traditional mandala, except that its walls comprise human entrails and bones, and the four gates are marked by impaled human and animal corpses. The structure is enveloped by a flayed cadaver, oceans of blood, and ultimately a black smoky abyss, alluding to textual descriptions of the goddess.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ekajata Attribute Mandala
- Date: ca. 1800
- Culture: Central Tibet
- Medium: Distemper on cotton
- Dimensions: Image: H. 24 in. (61 cm.); W. 18 1/2 in. (47 cm.)
Framed: H. 41 3/4 in. (106 cm.); W. 27 1/4 in. (69.2 cm); Est. wt. 19 lbs. (8.6 kg) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by the Zimmerman Family Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art