MAHAKALA

COPPER WITH PAINTED DETAIL

TIBETO-CHINESE STYLE

CIRCA 18^th CENTURY (SOTHEBY’S)

50.2 cm / 19,75” height

EXHIBITED: Tantra, Haywood Gallery, Arts Council of Great Britain, September 30 – November 14, 1971

DESCRIPTION: “The fierce six-armed deity stepping to the right in pratyalidhasana ,richly bejeweled, wearing a tiger skin loin cloth wrapped around his waist, his face with wide bulging eyes below fiery eyebrows, his mouth open in a grimace with fangs and curling tongue highlighted with pigment, a vajra finial in his flaming hair.” Sotheby’s Catalog “His myth is that he was once a powerful demon who conquered even the most powerful gods, due to his possession of a special boon from the supreme god Brahma. He was then subdued by the bodhisattvas Manjushri and Avalokiteshvara working in concert, and subsequently put his powers into the service of the Dharma. He is a popular protector among all Tibetans. He has many forms…”

Placed in a private collection