Votive Plaque
Unknown Artist
15th–17th century
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
7/8 × 13/16 in. (2.2 × 2 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
Tibet (Central Asia?)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.32.94
Art Historical Context
This delicate **Votive Plaque**, from clay by an unknown Tibetan artist between the 15th and 17th centuries, exemplifies the intimate scale of devotional art in Central Asian spiritual traditions. Measuring just 7/8 × 13/16 inches (2.2 × 2 cm), this sculpture—now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Asian Art Department—was likely designed for personal or ritual use, slipping easily into a pocket, shrine, or stupa. In Tibetan culture, votive plaques like this served as humble offerings to deities or enlightened beings, embodying the era's deep-rooted Buddhist practices. During the 15th–17t...