Buddha with Bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani ca. 10th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 253

This early molded-clay shrine, among the most complete example from tenth-century Tibet, depicts the three prevailing deities of early Tibetan Buddhism. A Sanskrit ye dharma verse in Tibetan script adorns the base, together with the Three Jewels motif. The Italian Tibetologist Giuseppe Tucci acquired the work at Tsaparang monastery in the early 1930s.

Buddha with Bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani, Fired clay, molded and polychromed , Tibet — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

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Title: Buddha with Bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani

Date: ca. 10th century

Culture: Tibet

Medium: Fired clay, molded and polychromed

Dimensions: H. 10 in. (25.4 cm); W. 7 in. (17.8 cm); D. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm); Wt. incl. base 3 lbs (1.4 kg)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2008

Accession Number: 2008.504

Inscription: Inscription along base

[ Sotheby's, New York , auction, March 16-17, 1988, lot 35, possibly sold to Manheim]; Paul E. Manheim , New York (by d. in 1999); [ Christie's, New York , auction, September 16, 2008, lot 501]

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 15, 2010–December 4, 2011.

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Timelines
Himalayan Region, 1000-1400 A.D.
Himalayan Region, 500-1000 A.D.