Mahakala Panjaranatha (Protector of the Tent)
Unknown Artist
late 14th–early 15th century
Medium
Steatite with color and gilding
Dimensions
H. 7 in. (17.8 cm); W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); D. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
Tibet
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015
Accession Number
2015.500.4.18
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Mahakala Panjaranatha (ctor of the Tent)** *Unknown Artist, late 14th–early 15th century, Tibet *Steatite color and gilding H. 7 in. (17.8 cm)* *The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art, Gift of Florence and Herbert, 2015* This steatite sculpture captures fierce visage of Mahakala Panjaranatha, a wrathful Tibetan Buddhist deity revered as a protector. Carved from soft, soapstone-like steatite in the late 14th to early 15th century—during a flourishing era of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet—the figure stands just 7 inches tall, adorned with vibrant colors and gilding that enhance its dynamic pr...