Initiation Card depicting a Dakini (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

18th century
Tibetan
Paintings
Works On Paper
opaque watercolor on paper
Place Made,Central Tibet
Sheet: 5 9/16 × 4 3/8 in. (14.13 × 11.11 cm)
Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm)
Framed: 20 5/8 × 16 5/8 in. (52.39 × 42.23 cm)
88.62.2
Not on view
Gurus generally use these "tsakalis", small cards with images of the gods, for meditation during initiation ceremonies, since it would be inconvenient for a spiritual master to carry large thankas around with him. (Dye, "Mystic Visions" label, 7/92)
Purchased with funds provided by Mimi and Perk Wilson
2022-2023: Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, November 11, 2022 - February 5, 2023; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, March 31 -0 July 10, 2023

1992 - 1993 "Mystic Visions: The Virginia Museum's Collection of Nepalese and Tibetan Art", VMFA, July 6, 1992 - January 3, 1993
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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