Tibet, various female deities (11)

Undated (15th century?), Tibet, Özerchenma enshrined in a stupa, polychrome wood, size not given, photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on virginia.edu, at the Palkhor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

Özer Chenma is the Tibetan name for Marichi, the goddess of dawn and mercy. When not seated sideways on a wild boar, the two-arm form usually holds some thread and a needle.

15th century, Tibet, Gyeltsen Tsemo,  restored and repainted (clay on a wooden armature?), photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on Virginia.edu, at the Gyeltsen Tsemo Shrine in the Palkhor Chode monastic complex, Gyantse (Tibet).

Known as Dhvajagrakeyura in Sanskrit, this meditational deity has the appearance of a yakshi with three or four heads and four to eight arms, clad in a tiger skin loin cloth and adorned with wrathful ornaments. The four-arm form holds a lasso and a sword in her right hands, a wheel and a ritual staff in the others. See more on wisdomlib

18th-19th century, Tibet, Ushnisha Sitatapatra, gilt copper alloy with cold gold and pigment, collection of the Ga-te studio, on exhibition at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

Sitatapatra with a 1000 heads (each with three eyes) 1000 arms, and 1000 feet, holding a dharma wheel in her main right hand and a parasol in the other. She stands on demons on one side and animals and deities on the other.

Tibet, various female characters (3)

14th century, Tibet, Suvarnamatsya, gilt copper, 22,9 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1043 pl. 261B, Potala Collection, Bla ma lha khang inventory nº 835, Lhasa (Tibet).

This female character is the embodiment of the auspicious symbol called suvarnamatsya (made of two goldfish placed vertically and facing each other). She stands on one foot like a dakini, baring her fangs and holding a ribbon in her right hand and a long-nosed fish in the other.

14th-15th century, Tibet, Pitadipta, gilt copper, 28,4 cm, photo as before, p. 1052 pl. 266A, Potala Collection, Sa gsum lha khang inventory nº 1174, Lhasa (Tibet).

Pitadipta is one of the eight goddesses on the lotus petals of a Kalachakra mandala. She has four heads and eight hands, in which she holds a drum, a jewel, a flute, a conch shell (right hands), a (broken) large kettle drum, cymbals, a small kettle drum, and another instrument (left hands).

16th century, Tibet, Parnashabari, gilt copper with turquoise, lapis lazuli and other stones, 30 cm, photo as before, p. 1071 pl. 275B, at the Gser khang lha khang in the Bri gung mthil (Drigung Thil) monastery (Tibet).

A striking image of Parnashabari/Parnashavari, ‘the Wild Leafy One’, in her six-arm form. She holds an arrow, a (missing axe), a vajra sceptre pointing to her heart in her right hands, a (missing) bow, a fan of leaves with fruit and flowers, a lasso in the left ones. She has a yakshi appearance, with three heads, a smiling one, a semi-wrathful one, a wrathful one, each with three eyes and red hair, dressed in a lower garment made of leaves and bedecked with stone-inlaid jewellery and a matching crown. See more on Parnashavari

Tibet, Machig Labdron (2)

15th century, Tibet, female adept or Buddhist goddess, gilt copper, 15,8 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1073 pl. 276B, Potala Collection, Bla ma lha khang inventory nº 1039, Lhasa (Tibet).

An intriguing figure with a wrathful countenance and a skull crown, yet her hair is dyed with blue pigment instead of the red-orange colour usually seen on wrathful deities. The author suggests this could be a portrait of Machig Labdron, whom we have seen depicted as a wisdom dakini, with three eyes, blue hair, a five-skull crown, bone jewellery, standing on her left foot and holding a drum and a bell.

16th-17th century, Tibet, Machig Labdron, gilt copper, 19,5 cm, photo as before, p. 1055 pl. 267B, at the Palkor Chode monastic complex in Gyantse (Tibet).

Here she has a skull cup in her left hand. We saw another example on Bonhams  , and a seated one at the Penn Museum .

15th century, Tibet, Machik Labdrön, painted clay (on a wooden armature), no size given, photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on virginia.edu, at the Shije shrine in the Kumbum, Gyantse (Tibet).

This image is placed next to a larger one of Padampa Sangye. Machig Labdron holds a drum in her right hand and probably had an attribute in the other (of which the forefinger is missing).

Tibet, various female characters (2)

7th century, Nepalese artist in Tibet, four-armed form of Bhrikuti inside a cave, wood, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 421 pl. 134B, doorway to the ‘Dharma King Meditation Cave’ of the Jokhang in Lhasa (Tibet).

Bhrikuti is seated with a leg pendent, holding a rosary and a water pot in her upper hands. Her lower right hand displays the gesture of supreme generosity, the other makes the gesture of debate.

7th century, Nepalese artist in Tibet, ‘female sleeping inside a cave’, wood, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 414 pl. 132E, doorway to the Amitabha Chapel of the Jokhang in Lhasa (Tibet).

15th century, Tibet, Sitatapatra, painted clay on a wooden armature, photo Richard Mortel on wikimedia, at the Kumbum in Gyantse (Tibet).

Sitatapatra, ‘The White Parasol’, in her three-head and six-arm form, holds a parasol in her main right hand, a vajra hook (elephant goad) and a flaming wheel in her upper hands, an arrow and a bow in the middle ones, her main left arm is not visible.

17th century or later? Tibet?, Sarasvati?, labelled ‘Princess Bhrkuti, Nepal, 1200-1482, early Malla, copper alloy, paint), item 5719 on Huntington Archive, at the Indian Museum in Kolkata (India).

The facial features and hair ornament are different, and her breasts are covered with a sash, but the overall style of the sculpture, the position of the legs and hands, and the shape of the cushion are reminiscent of a series of sculptures attributed to Choying Dorje (and later copies), depicting either Sarasvati (according to Ian Alsop ) or Green Tara (according to HAR ). We will note that her legs are not locked like White Tara’s, nor she doesn’t have a leg pendent like Green Tara.

Tibet, Sarasvati

7th-8th century, Tibet, Yarlung Dynasty, Sarasvati, copper, 13 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 761 pl. 178A, at the sMin grol gling (Mindroling) monastery (Tibet). [Now attributed to Choying Dorje].

We have seen a few similar brass and copper alloy sculptures (classified under Tara on HAR), some of them attributed to the tenth Karmapa or his atelier and therefore 17th century, others made in the same style but at a later date. The deity is seated with her legs slightly unfolded, her right hand in the gesture of generosity and the left hand holding a lotus bud, exactly like a silver alloy figure seen in a previous post, identified as Sarasvati because of the peacocks that support her seat – the peacock being Sarasvati’s mount. (Same publication, p. 763 pl. 179D, Potala Collection inventory nº 255).

7th century, Nepalese artist in Tibet, Sarasvati or Tara, wood, photo as before (Volume One, p. 427, pl.135B), doorway to the Padmasambhava chapel of the Jokhang, Lhasa (Tibet).

The above makes the gesture of reassurance with her right hand. The author suggests it may be Sarasvati, rather than Tara, because the latter was not worshipped in Tibet until the 11th century. One may add that the way her legs are crossed at the ankle does not match a typical depiction of Green Tara, who sits with a leg pendent.

16th-17th century, Tibet, Sarasvati, bronze with traces of gilding, 12,2 cm, private collection, Asian Art lot 121, 2nd November 2011, Koller.

The goddess of the Arts and Speech playing the vina (missing in this case).

Tibet or Bhutan, Tseringma

18th century, Tibet or Bhutan, Tseringma, gilt bronze (with turquoise inlay, cold gold, pigments), 16,7 cm, private collection, Important Chinese Art lot 52, 11th May 2022, Sotheby’s (London).

Perhaps the better-known of the Five Long-life Sisters, Tashi Tseringma rides a snow lioness and holds a vajra sceptre and a vase of longevity (Or an arrow and a die. See more about the five sisters on Himalayan Art Resources ).

Tibet, female deity in a shrine

Circa 11th century, Kashmir Schools in Western Tibet, Miniature Temple of an Unidentified Goddess, wood, ivory, crystal, 24,5 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 207 pl. 65C, Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang, inventory nº 1350, Lhasa (Tibet).

The goddess is seated with her right leg placed on the left one, atop a lotus seat supported by a throne with scrolling vegetation at the front. She originally had eight arms. Her main right hand makes the fear-allaying gesture, the lower one makes the gesture of supreme generosity, there is a vajra-tipped staff in one of her left hands and a flower in another.

Tibet, Pratisara (2)

15th century, Tibet, Maha Pratisara, bronze with
copper, silver, and turquoise inlay, 12,7 cm, private collection, photo and notes by Tristan Bruck on Christie’s 

A rare sculpture of Pratisara, the better-known of the five Pancha Raksha deities, in her one-head and two-arm form. She is identified through the eight-spoke wheel (surrounded with flames) in her left hand and the flaming sword in the other. On this example her dhoti is inlaid with copper and silver-inlaid roundels, in the (Indian) Pala fashion.

She wears a floral tiara and has a silk shawl over her shoulders.

Undated, Tibet, Pratisara (gilt copper alloy), private collection, photo on HAR

Another example of the one-head and two-arm form (the few Tibetan images seen so far were of the four-head and eight-arm form).

Tibet, unidentified wrathful figures (10)

13th-14th century, Tibet, wrathful deity, bronze, 11,4 cm, The John C, and Susan L. Huntington collection, lot 402, 21st September 2022, Christie’s .

A wrathful yaksha figure with a third eye, his upper fangs biting down his lower lip, holding a skull cup in his left hand and a broken implement in the other. He wears a skull crown and has a human hide on his back. The prominent bosom makes it look like a female figure but Christie’s expert describes it as a male character, probably because of the tight-fitting tiger skin loin cloth (wrathful females usually wear a leopard skin), and the ressemblance with Achala (who would have a noose or a lasso in his left hand).

Tibet, four-armed goddesses

1350-1450 AD, Tibet, four-armed Buddhist goddess, gilt copper, 31, 6 cm, details and photo on Ulrich von Schroeder , inventory nº 4 (B), gTsug Lakhang collection in Lhasa (Tibet).  ‘Densatil, circa 1360, Prajnaparamita?’, in Jean-Luc Estournel ‘s catalogue raisonné.

This female deity has her lower hands in the gesture of meditation and the main ones ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ while holding the stem of large open flowers – one of them supporting a conch shell – which doesn’t correspond to any goddess we have seen so far.

Circa 1407-1408, Tibet, Densatil, Prajnaparamita?, gilt copper alloy, private collection, photographic archives of Oliver Comes, Fig. 217 in Jean-Luc Estournel ‘s catalogue raisonné.

In her four-arm form Prajnaparamita may have her main hands in the dharmacakra mudra, in which case she normally holds a manuscript in her upper left hand and a rosary in the other, or the stem of lilies that support the said attributes, which doesn’t appear to be so on this image.