Ask the Scholar

Page 4 of 8
I can add historical knowledge about this page.

Page image

Page 4

Document source description

The Buddhist deity Kshetrapala, whose name means "protector ('pala') of the field ('kshetra')," wards off dangerous and evil forces. His mouth releases a great howl, its volume amplified by the roar of the bear he rides. As he lifts his index finger in a threatening gesture, he holds the handle of a flaying knife (the curved blade of which is now missing) and a skull bowl filled with the blood and flesh of his enemies. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, he presides over Shitavana ("cool grove"), a charnel ground near the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Bodhgaya. An important member of the retinue of six-armed Mahakala (a prominent protector of Buddhist teachings), Kshetrapala usually appears within an assemblage of wrathful protectors. In rituals performed to keep enemies at bay, however, he occasionally serves as the focus of worship.

Page data

Page
4
Source index
0
Type
photo
Media ID
37132d5e136fcdc3
Size
unknown

Document data

ID
34044
Core
obj
Type
object
DTO data
{
    "id": "34044",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.3091",
    "contentType": "object",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Protector Deity Kshetrapala",
    "description": "The Buddhist deity Kshetrapala, whose name means \"protector ('pala') of the field ('kshetra'),\" wards off dangerous and evil forces. His mouth releases a great howl, its volume amplified by the roar of the bear he rides. As he lifts his index finger in a threatening gesture, he holds the handle of a flaying knife (the curved blade of which is now missing) and a skull bowl filled with the blood and flesh of his enemies. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, he presides over Shitavana (\"cool grove\"), a charnel ground near the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Bodhgaya. An important member of the retinue of six-armed Mahakala (a prominent protector of Buddhist teachings), Kshetrapala usually appears within an assemblage of wrathful protectors. In rituals performed to keep enemies at bay, however, he occasionally serves as the focus of worship.",
    "provenance": "Nahar Gallery, Calcutta, India; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, August 1984; given to Walters Art Museum, 2013.",
    "date": "15th century",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.3091",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "sculpture (visual works)"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.3091_3QtrLft_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.3091_3QtrLft_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.3091_3QtrLft_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "imageCount": 8,
    "pageCount": 8,
    "source": "import",
    "dimensions": [
        {
            "units": "cm",
            "width": 18.1,
            "height": 14.8,
            "depth": 8.5
        }
    ],
    "dimensionsRaw": "H: 7 1/8 × W: 5 13/16 × D: 3 3/8 in. (18.1 × 14.8 × 8.5 cm); H with Base: 8 1/8 × W: 6 1/4 × D: 3 3/8 in. (20.7 × 15.8 × 8.5 cm); Base H: 1 × W: 2 15/16 × D: 5 7/16 in. (2.6 × 7.4 × 13.8 cm)."
}

Context sent to Scholar

Document identity
{
    "localId": "34044",
    "label": "Protector Deity Kshetrapala",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.3091"
}
Document source metadata
{
    "id": "34044",
    "sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.3091",
    "contentType": "object",
    "stage": "normalized",
    "title": "Protector Deity Kshetrapala",
    "description": "The Buddhist deity Kshetrapala, whose name means \"protector ('pala') of the field ('kshetra'),\" wards off dangerous and evil forces. His mouth releases a great howl, its volume amplified by the roar of the bear he rides. As he lifts his index finger in a threatening gesture, he holds the handle of a flaying knife (the curved blade of which is now missing) and a skull bowl filled with the blood and flesh of his enemies. In Tibetan Buddhist traditions, he presides over Shitavana (\"cool grove\"), a charnel ground near the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Bodhgaya. An important member of the retinue of six-armed Mahakala (a prominent protector of Buddhist teachings), Kshetrapala usually appears within an assemblage of wrathful protectors. In rituals performed to keep enemies at bay, however, he occasionally serves as the focus of worship.",
    "provenance": "Nahar Gallery, Calcutta, India; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, August 1984; given to Walters Art Museum, 2013.",
    "date": "15th century",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.3091",
    "rightsUri": "CC0",
    "language": "en",
    "genreSpecific": [
        "sculpture (visual works)"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.3091_3QtrLft_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.3091_3QtrLft_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.3091_3QtrLft_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "imageCount": 8,
    "pageCount": 8,
    "source": "import",
    "dimensions": [
        {
            "units": "cm",
            "width": 18.1,
            "height": 14.8,
            "depth": 8.5
        }
    ],
    "dimensionsRaw": "H: 7 1/8 × W: 5 13/16 × D: 3 3/8 in. (18.1 × 14.8 × 8.5 cm); H with Base: 8 1/8 × W: 6 1/4 × D: 3 3/8 in. (20.7 × 15.8 × 8.5 cm); Base H: 1 × W: 2 15/16 × D: 5 7/16 in. (2.6 × 7.4 × 13.8 cm)."
}
Document source extras
{
    "med": "gilded copper alloy with traces of paint",
    "creator_ids": [
        "6868"
    ],
    "collection_ids": [
        "INT"
    ],
    "exhibition_ids": [
        "2071",
        "3456"
    ]
}
Page context
{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/raw/PS1_54.3091_Back_DD_T16-tms.jpg",
    "mediaId": "37132d5e136fcdc3"
}