Untitled

Unknown

late 16th century · Distemper on cloth · Asian Art

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.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 16th century

Medium

Distemper on cloth

Culture

Tibet

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Frances Gould-Naftal and Marvin Naftal, 1983