Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi (Primary Title)
thanka (Object Name)
Unknown (Artist)
Chakrasamvara’s five heads—the central white one hidden—reference the Five Cosmic Buddhas. His dozen arms signify the twelve links of Dependent Origination, and the weapons in his hands are symbols of overcoming the fallacies of self-centered consciousness. Representing the solidarity of wisdom and compassion are the bell and the vajra crossed behind the back of Vajravarahi. The paired deities stand at the center of a schematic mandala. A teaching lineage lines the top, and a monk with offerings, probably the painting’s patron, sits at the lower left.
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Gift of Paul Mellon
Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey toward Enlightenment, VMFA, Richmond, April 20-August 14, 2019; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, January 17 – November 29, 2020
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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