Tantric Temple Banner of a Dancing Goddess Flanked by Dakinis
17th century
Medium
Pigments and black ink on cloth
Dimensions
124.5 × 231.1 cm (49 × 91 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
109571
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This horizontal scroll (bilampo) from Nepal features three dancing Buddhist deities framed within aureoles and interspersed with flowers. The white multi-armed goddess at the center is the largest and most powerful figure and is probably White Tara (the Savioress); she has a third eye and holds a lotus in each of her 18 hands. The goddess is flanked by two bird-headed female attendants, one blue and one green, each wearing a necklace of human skulls and trampling a nude male figure (a symbol of ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...