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Mahasiddha Padampa Sangye

14th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Padampa Sangye (d. 1117) was a tantric adept from south India. As a youth, he went to study in eastern India at the great Vikramashila monastery, where he was ordained. Thereafter, he left the monastic life behind to travel widely throughout India, Tibet, and China, where he practiced austerities and instructed pupils. Padampa Sangye’s south Indian origins are suggested in this painting by his dark complexion and nakedness, common among ascetics in India but less so on the frigid Tibetan plateau. The antelope hide he uses as a mat and the bone trumpet he holds allude to his yogic practices.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mahasiddha Padampa Sangye
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: Tibet
  • Medium: Distemper on cotton
  • Dimensions: H. 14 in. (35.6 cm); W. 11 1/4 in. (28.6 cm)
    Framed: H. 30 3/4 in. (78.1 cm); W. 21 1/8 in. (53.7 cm); D. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm); Est. wt. framed 13 lbs. (5.9 kg)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Lent by the Somylo Family Collection
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art