Pehar Gyalpo / Artist Unknown, Tibet or Nepal
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1980/2.211
- Title
- Pehar Gyalpo
- Artist Nationality
- Tibetan or Nepalese
- Medium and Support
- ink, gouache, and gold pigment on cotton
- Object Creation Date
- 19th century?
- Style/Group/Movement
- Buddhist thangka
- Dimensions
- 45.3 cm x 34.9 cm (17 13/16 in. x 13 3/4 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Physical Description
- A portable painting in mineral pigments and gold on a primed cotton ground; the painting is designed to be rolled up when not in use. The painting was folded at some time in its history, resulting in a loss of pigment along two vertical lines.
- Subject Matter
- At the center of this complex composition is a large, white-skinned figure with six arms, each bearing a weapon, and three heads (one white, one blue, and one red, each with three eyes), wearing a helmet: this is Pehar Gyalpo, originally a non-Buddhist spirit invited to Tibet in the eighth century by Guru Padmasambhava to serve as protector of Tibet's first Buddhist monastery, Samye. Pehar is shown astride a snow lion (a white lion with a green mane; the symbol of the Tibetan state). At his fee are three similar wrathful protector deites, mounted (from right to left) on a lion, a horse, and an elephant; two more, both mounted on horses, are in the upper corners. Each of the mounted figures is enveloped in flames, of varying colors. At the very top center of the painting is a portrait of a monk, possibly a representation of Padmasambhava. The entire scene is set in a blue-and-green mountainous landscape.
- Secondary Keywords
- african
- african styles by region
- animals and creatures
- asian
- associated concepts
- descriptors
- design elements
- ewe cultures
- mammals
- motifs
- natural element motifs
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by activity
- people by state or condition
- religions
- religions and religious concepts
- south asian
- styles and periods
- styles and periods by region
- west african styles
- western guinea coast styles
- 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
- 969 x 1299
- File Size
- 128 KB
- Record
- 1980/2.211
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1980-sl-2.211/1980_2.211.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1980-SL-2.211:1980_2.211.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Pehar Gyalpo; Artist Unknown, Tibet or Nepal." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1980-sl-2.211/1980_2.211.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2024.