Vajracharya Crown (Primary Title)
Ritual Crown (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

13th–14th century
Nepalese
gilded copper alloy, gemstones
Nepal
Overall: 11 1/2 × 7 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (29.21 × 19.69 × 22.23 cm)
84.41
Not on view
This spectacular three-tiered crown is ornamented with images and symbols of the Five Cosmic Buddhas. These deities, who are emanations of the supreme Buddha essence (Adi-Buddha), guard the four cardinal directions plus the center. A priest known as the Vajracharya (Master of the Thunderbolt) would have worn this crown during certain ritual performances to help him identify with and assume the cosmic forces embodied by the Buddhas.
Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund
Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey toward Enlightenment, VMFA, Richmond, April 20-August 14, 2019; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, January 17 – November 29, 2020; Rubin Museum of Art, New York, March 12, 2021 – January 2, 2022

2017: "Crows of the Vajra masters: Ritual Art of Nepal", Metropolitan Museum of Art. NY, December 16, 2017 - December 16, 2018.

2005-2006: "Look Here: Dazzle", VMFA, November 2, 2005 - January 29, 2006

2002: "A Golden Legacy: Fifty Years of the Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund", VMFA, Deane gallery, April 2 - August 18, 2002.

1992-1993: "Mystic Visions: The Virginia Museum's Collection of Nepalese and Tibetan Art", VMFA July 6, 1992 - January 3, 1993.

1975-1976: "Nepal Where the Gods are Young", Asia House Gallery, New York, September 25 - November 23, 1975; Seattle Art Museum, December 7, 1975 - January 25, 1976; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, February 16 - April 4, 1976.

Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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