Dorje Legpa Votive Plaque / Artist Unknown, Tibet or Nepal
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1985/2.50
- Title
- Dorje Legpa Votive Plaque
- Artist Nationality
- Tibetan or Nepalese
- Medium and Support
- bone
- Object Creation Date
- 18th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- China (nation)
- Tibet (autonomous region)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- China (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Tibet (autonomous region)
- Style/Group/Movement
- Buddhist
- Dimensions
- 30 cm x 16.8 cm x 8.8 cm (11 13/16 in. x 6 5/8 in. x 3 7/16 in.)
- Century
- 18th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Sculpture
- Primary Object Type
- carving
- Secondary Object Classification
- Ritual Objects
- Secondary Object Type
- plaque
- Physical Description
- A bas-relief carving made of bone and in the shape of a lotus petal, depicting Pehar, a guardian of the Tibetan Buddhist faith, in wrathful form. At the base of the "petal" are the tops of mountains, with the waves of the sea visible between them; in the rounded part of the "petal," a border of flames encircles a dynamic image of Pehar, his garments flowing in the wind as he rides on a snow lion. The background behind Pehar is incised with closely spaced wavy lines, again suggesting flames.
- Subject Matter
- An incised image of Pehar Gyalpo, a guardian of the Tibetan Buddhist faith; depicted as a male wearing a helmet and riding on a snow lion.
- Pehar is one of a class of fierce deities known as dharmapala, or ‘defenders of the faith.’ His cult dates back to the late eighth century, when Guru Padma Sambhava, an Indian master of meditaion and tantric practices, ‘installed’ Pehar as the protector of Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. He is also the deity channeled by the Nechung medium, who acts as the State Oracle of Tibet, and the chief dharmapala of Drepung Loseling Monastery.
- Pehar is traditionally shown, as here, with a fierce expression, wearing a helmet, and astride a snow lion (an imaginary creature—which may in turn trample a corpse, although not in this example).
- Primary Keywords
- bone
- buddhism
- flames
- guardian
- himalayan
- lotus
- snow lion
- tibet (autonomous region)
- vajrayana
- Secondary Keywords
- animals and creatures
- asia (continent)
- asian
- associated concepts
- china (nation)
- combination inorganic/organic animal material
- combination inorganic/organic material
- descriptors
- design elements
- geographic and political locations
- legendary creatures
- materials
- materials by composition
- motifs
- natural element motifs
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by activity
- plant-derived motifs
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- south asian
- styles and periods
- styles and periods by region
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 640 x 1112
- File Size
- 90 KB
- Record
- 1985/2.50
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-2.50/1985_2.50.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1985-SL-2.50:1985_2.50.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Dorje Legpa Votive Plaque; Artist Unknown, Tibet or Nepal." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1985-sl-2.50/1985_2.50.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 16, 2024.
