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Raktayamari with His Consort Vajravetali

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.
As a wrathful emanation of the bodhisattva of wisdom Manjushri, Raktayamari represents the overcoming of death through enlightenment. The red meditational deity embraces his consort and tramples the god of death, a fallen blue Yama astride his water-buffalo mount. Black and buffalo-headed forms of the same deity, known as Yamantaka (“Destroyer of Death”) appear in the upper corners of the central frame. Additional manifestations line the margins of the painting, while the upper register shows mahasiddhas (tantric adepts) and lineage lamas of the Sakya school. The thangka’s dynamic figures, lively flourishes, and thin yellow borders derive from Nepalese artistic traditions, a salient stylistic source for Tibetan painting.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Raktayamari with His Consort Vajravetali
  • Date: 14th century
  • Culture: Central Tibet
  • Medium: Distemper and gold on cloth
  • Dimensions: Image: 23 3/4 x 21 1/2 in. (60.3 x 54.6 cm)
    Framed: 45 x 30 1/2 in. (88.9 x 77.5 cm); Est. wt. 19 lbs. (8.6 kg)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Lent by The Kronos Collections
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art