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Source Description
Ceremonial weaponry was used in tantric rituals to combat obstacles to enlightenment, such as ignorance and uncontrolled passions. In 1407 a high-ranking Tibetan monastic patriarch visited the emperor of the Ming dynasty, known as Yongle. The Yongle emperor presented him with a number of gifts, of which the axe, mace, flaying knife, incense burner (1983.154), and the gilt bronze Virupa (1972.96) appear to have been a part, since the sculpture and the axe bear his identifying inscription in a cartouche. Imperial Chinese workmanship is noted in the lush rendering of the lion heads from which the blades emerge, the calligraphic serpentine forms, and the cloud motifs.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
149447
label
Ritual Mace
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
149447
contentType
object
title
Ritual Mace
description
Ceremonial weaponry was used in tantric rituals to combat obstacles to enlightenment, such as ignorance and uncontrolled passions. In 1407 a high-ranking Tibetan monastic patriarch visited the emperor of the Ming dynasty, known as Yongle. The Yongle emperor presented him with a number of gifts, of which the axe, mace, flaying knife, incense burner (1983.154), and the gilt bronze Virupa (1972.96) appear to have been a part, since the sculpture and the axe bear his identifying inscription in a cartouche. Imperial Chinese workmanship is noted in the lush rendering of the lion heads from which the blades emerge, the calligraphic serpentine forms, and the cloud motifs.
date
early 1400s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79930734
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 38.5 cm (15 3/16 in.)
cul
Sino-Tibetan, Derge School, Yongle period (1403-1427)
accession
1978.9.2
Source extras
tec
iron alloy with gold inlay
tombstone
Ritual Mace, early 1400s. Sino-Tibetan, Derge School, Yongle period (1403-1427). Iron alloy with gold inlay; overall: 38.5 cm (15 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1978.9.2
collection
Tibetan Art
formerAccessionNumbers
1978.10
citations
citation
Huntington, John C., Dina Bangdel, and Robert A. F. Thurman. The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art. Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2003.
page_number
366-369
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:41:55.013000
sourceId
149447
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Tibetan Art
med
iron alloy with gold inlay
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
d67e666971c5b81a