A mandala is a symbolic map representing the perfected universe of a Buddhist deity. This particular mandala is dedicated to the wrathful deity Dorje Phurba, who is the personification of a phurbu or ritual dagger. A large retinue of protective and attendant deities with animal and human heads radiate around the central figure of Dorje Phurba, who appears in the innermost triangle of the painting embracing his consort. Five seated figures appear across the top of the painting, with Padmasambhava, the Indian mystic who brought Buddhism to Tibet, in the center, flanked by Indian and Tibetan monks. At the bottom of the painting is an offering table with three blood-filled skull cups and gems. Two additional wrathful deities appear in the two lower corners, Vajrapani on the left and Vajraheruka on the right.
Details
- Title: Mandala of Dorje Phurba
- Date: mid-18th century
- Medium: Opaque watercolor on cotton with silk border
- Dimensions: image: 31 x 22-1/2 in. (78.7 x 57.2 cm); mount: 60-1/2 x 37-1/4 in. (153.7 x 94.6 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1975.14.11.P
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
In the Land of Snow: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-03-28 to 2014-08-25
Painting and Sculpture from Nepal, Tibet and Northwest India
- Norton Simon Museum, 1994-09-22 to 1997-06-01
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 134 pp. 194-195
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1114 p. 373
Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.
Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.
Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.