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Mahakala

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.
A favorite guardian of the Kagyu school, this four-armed form of the wrathful guardian deity Mahakala is represented with sublime intensity. He wears a splendid tiger-skin skirt, wields a sword and khatvanga staff in his upper hands, holds a flaying knife and skull cup in his bottom two, and is surrounded by various retinue figures including raven-faced emanations. This form of Mahakala is associated with the tantras of the deity Chakrasamvara, who is depicted at center in the upper register and flanked on either side by lineage teachers. On the verso the golden outline of a stupa contains Tibetan inscriptions glorifying Mahakala.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mahakala
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: Tibet
  • Medium: Mineral pigments on cotton
  • Dimensions: H. 25 in. (64.5 cm); W. 20 in. (50.8 cm)
    Framed dimensions: H. 34 in. (86.4 cm); W. 27 in. (68.6 cm); Est. weight 19 lbs (8.6 kg)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Lent by the Michael J. and Beata McCormick Collection
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art