Initiation cards or tsakali are miniature paintings used in Tibetan Buddhist rituals to consecrate a temple or to give an initiation. Tsakali cards typically come in large sets numbering as many as 100. This card displayed no doubt came from such a set.
Cards of esteemed teachers or Lamas and ceremonial objects such as this bell could be used in a number of ritual situations such as the transmission of teachings, substitutes for ceremonial items and facilitating visualizations.
Details
- Title: Initiation Card with Bell
- Date: c. 1600
- Medium: Pigment and gold on paper
- Dimensions: 5-1/2 x 4-1/4 in. (14.0 x 10.8 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Pratap and Chitra Pal
- Accession Number: P.1999.09.4
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Museum
Object Information
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 130 pp. 20, 188-189
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