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Source Description
These rare surviving pages of a practice book have drawings of prominent tantric figures. The line drawing is confident and masterful, with each iconographic element rendered with clarity and precision. The svelte proportions of the figures follow the style of the Khyenri school initiated in the second half of the 15th century by the artist Khyentse Wangchuk (about 1420-1500), known for his elegant and energetic depictions of the fierce manifestations of the enlightened beings. The best preserved example on this segment is the blue Hevajra in sexual union with Nairatmya, shown in a deeper shade of blue. Chakrashamvara, another powerful emanation of a Buddha, is at the left with his consort Vajravarahi, holding a variety of weapons, tantric implements, and an elephant skin representing the defeat of uncontrolled passions in his twelve hands. The buffalo-headed figure at the right is Yamantaka, a powerful form of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Tantric practitioners invoke this deity to aid in conquering fear of death, one of the most powerful hindrances to enlightenment.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
152332
label
Iconographic Drawings: Chakrashamvara with Vajravarahi, Hevajra with Nairatmya, and Yamantaka (verso)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
152332
contentType
drawing
title
Iconographic Drawings: Chakrashamvara with Vajravarahi, Hevajra with Nairatmya, and Yamantaka (verso)
description
These rare surviving pages of a practice book have drawings of prominent tantric figures. The line drawing is confident and masterful, with each iconographic element rendered with clarity and precision. The svelte proportions of the figures follow the style of the Khyenri school initiated in the second half of the 15th century by the artist Khyentse Wangchuk (about 1420-1500), known for his elegant and energetic depictions of the fierce manifestations of the enlightened beings. The best preserved example on this segment is the blue Hevajra in sexual union with Nairatmya, shown in a deeper shade of blue. Chakrashamvara, another powerful emanation of a Buddha, is at the left with his consort Vajravarahi, holding a variety of weapons, tantric implements, and an elephant skin representing the defeat of uncontrolled passions in his twelve hands. The buffalo-headed figure at the right is Yamantaka, a powerful form of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Tantric practitioners invoke this deity to aid in conquering fear of death, one of the most powerful hindrances to enlightenment.
date
c. 1500
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79936681
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 20.3 x 12.7 cm (8 x 5 in.)
cul
Tibet
accession
1985.191.b
Source extras
tec
ink and watercolor on cotton
tombstone
Iconographic Drawings: Chakrashamvara with Vajravarahi, Hevajra with Nairatmya, and Yamantaka (verso), c. 1500. Tibet. Ink and watercolor on cotton; overall: 20.3 x 12.7 cm (8 x 5 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden Fund, 1985.191.b
collection
Tibetan Art
formerAccessionNumbers
1985.191
didYouKnow
The script notations are in an Indic script, but the line drawings are Tibetan.
citations
citation
Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1985.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>, vol. 73, no. 2, 1986, pp. 26–71.
page_number
Mentioned: no. 204, p. 71
creditline
Delia E. Holden Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:52:24.752000
sourceId
152332
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Tibetan Art
med
ink and watercolor on cotton
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4f4128e3aace5fa0