Offerings to the Goddess Palden Lhamo

Tibet

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 253

Palden Lhamo is the principal protectress of Tibet and the only female of the Eight Guardians of the dharma. This black-ground (Tibetan: nag thang) painting was installed in the chapel (gonkhang) dedicated to the wrathful protective deities (dharmapalas), a room reserved for tantric initiation rites within a Tibetan monastery. The exceptional scale and complexity of the composition relate the painting to the offering-scene murals known as “sets of ornaments” (rgyan tshogs) that adorn the interiors of shrines dedicated to the dharmapalas. At center, the wrathful four-armed goddess Palden Lhamo, emaciated and fearful, is shown riding her mule.

Offerings to the Goddess Palden Lhamo, Distemper and ink on cloth, Tibet

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Offerings to the Goddess Palden Lhamo, Distemper and ink on cloth, Tibet
Offerings to the Goddess Palden Lhamo, Distemper and ink on cloth, Tibet
Offerings to the Goddess Palden Lhamo, Distemper and ink on cloth, Tibet

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