元 緙絲大威德金剛曼陀羅|Vajrabhairava mandala
Unknown Artist
ca. 1330–32
Medium
Silk tapestry (kesi)
Dimensions
Overall: 96 5/8 x 82 5/16 in. (245.5 x 209 cm) Overall (framed and mounted): H. 113 1/2 in. (288.3 cm); W. 90 1/2 in. (229.9 cm); D. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); Wt. 230.3 lb. (104.5 kg)
Classification
Textiles-Tapestries
Culture & Period
China · Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1992
Accession Number
1992.54
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silk tapestry, or *kesi*, depicts the Vajrabhairava mandala, a sacred Buddhist diagram centered on the fierce deity Vajrabhairava (also known as Yamantaka), who embodies the triumph of wisdom over death. Created in China around 1330–32 during the Yuan dynasty, the work measures nearly eight feet tall and features intricate woven details of the multi-headed, multi-armed deity surrounded by attendant figures, ritual implements, and symbolic elements within a geometric mandala framework. The Yuan period, under Mongol rule, witnessed a flourishing of Tibetan Buddhism at the imperia...