id:			154392
accession number:	1989.11.a
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1989.11.a
updated:		2023-04-05 11:07:29.531000

Vajrapani
Embroidered Mount with Garuda, painting 1600s, embroidery c. 1300. Chöying Dorjé, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa (Tibetan, 1604–1674). Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on silk; overall: 114.6 x 44.5 cm (45 1/8 x 17 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1989.11.a

title:				Vajrapani
Embroidered Mount with Garuda
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			painting 1600s, embroidery c. 1300
creation date earliest:		1600
creation date latest:		1699
current location:		
creditline:			Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	China and Tibet, Embroidery: China, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368); painting: Tibet, 17th century
technique:	Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on silk
department:	Textiles
collection:	Textiles
type:		Embroidery
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* Chöying Dorjé, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa (Tibetan, 1604–1674)  - artist

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measurements: Overall: 114.6 x 44.5 cm (45 1/8 x 17 1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian & Chinese Textiles from the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art
	opening date:   1997-10-19T00:00:00
	<i>When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian & Chinese Textiles from the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art</i>. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998).

	title:		Himalayan art rotation
	opening date:   2014-12-22T05:00:00
	<i>Himalayan art rotation</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 22, 2014-November 2, 2015).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* Selections from The Tibetan Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (August 23-October 24, 1993):

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact:


digital description:


wall description:
Kneeling and holding his left hand in a gesture of reverential greeting, this Buddhist protector holds a stylized thunderbolt called a <em>vajra</em>, for which he is named. His black body is set off by the gold cloud and flames that stand out from the indigo sky through which birds of prey fly with serpents. His hair stands on end, and his eyes—including his third eye of wisdom—bulge with ferocity. These attributes, plus the powerful bulk of his body, convey his ability to eradicate obstacles to enlightenment. Though unsigned, the painting appears to have been made by a high-ranking Tibetan patriarch. Rare examples of textiles from the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), the upper and lower borders feature the Indian man-eagle Garuda, who in Tibetan Buddhism is associated with Vajrapani. Garuda hovers over the three Islands of the Immortals that rise from the stylized waters of the Eastern Sea, a motif associated with the Chinese religion of Daoism. Cross-cultural visual references to Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese images come together in this remarkable devotional ensemble.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. 1997.
	page number: 	pp. 190-193, color reproduction, p. 191, detail reproduction p. 191, 193
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.11.a/1989.11.a_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.11.a/1989.11.a_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1989.11.a/1989.11.a_full.tif