Unidentified Tibetan tantric master
  See it in the Museum
Aisle
Orientation 1
Display 1

ABS 250

 Code: ABS 250

  Country: Nepal (west)

  Style: Khasha Malla

  Date: 1200 - 1300

  Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 24 x 25.5 x 17

  Materials: Silver statue inlaid with copper and gold

Unidentified Tibetan tantric master

Dressed in a thick garment with medallion motifs and covered with a long, pleated cloak, yet with bare feet, this master sits on a lotus. His long hair is tied up in a bun at the top of his head, a distinctive feature of ngakpa or non-monastic tantric practitioners. The combined use of silver for the body and gilding for the lotus is a typical feature of Khasha Malla production of Western Nepal and Tibet. This highly refined statue has magnificent inlays of copper and gold on the border of the garment, the lips, and urna. There is no inscription and the iconography alone does not allow for the identification of this master, who must certainly have belonged to the Nyingma, Kagyü, Sakya, or Bön schools.