Plaque from a Tantric Ritual Apron

Art Historical Context

This exquisite bone plaque, dating to around the 16th century Tibet, forms part of a Tantric ritual apron—a sacred garment worn by Vajrayana Buddhist practitioners during esoteric ceremonies. Carved from human bone, a material revered for its embodiment of impermanence and cycle of life and death, the plaque stands just 6 inches (15.2 cm) high. Such artifacts, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Asian Art Departmentgift of Michael and Georgia Havenon, 1987), highlight the masterful Tibetan craftsmanship in low-relief carving, where intricate details likely evoke divine forms, including...