Ushnishasitatapattra, She Who Shelters with the White Parasol

Currently not on view

Ushnishasitatapattra, She Who Shelters with the White Parasol

c. 18th century

Artist/maker unknown, Tibetan or Mongolian

The border on this work is a trompe l'oeil-a painting of Chinese brocades rather than the silks themselves. At the center stands Ushnishasitatapattra, the embodiment of all the buddhas' qualities (shown by the five colors of her thousand heads). Reality-altering power emanates from her ushnisha, a cranial bump. Her many feet trample multicolored figures, suggesting her control over the realms of gods, demigods, men, and animals. The shaft of her white parasol disappears into a fire-rimmed pool that represents the natural disasters such as fires, floods, and earthquakes from which she protects her worshipers. At the apex of her heads, two Tibetan Buddhist monks soar in the clouds, signifying their freedom from earthly needs and desires.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Ushnishasitatapattra, She Who Shelters with the White Parasol

Date:

c. 18th century

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Tibetan or Mongolian

Medium:

Colors on cloth; cloth mountings

Dimensions:

Image: 45 x 30 1/2 inches (114.3 x 77.5 cm) Mount: 48 1/2 x 31 inches (123.2 x 78.7 cm) Frame: 2 3/4 × 55 3/4 × 37 1/2 inches (7 × 141.6 × 95.3 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Gift of Natacha Rambova, 1961

Accession Number:

1961-177-1

Geography:

Made in Mongolia, Asia or made in Tibet, Asia

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Currently not on view