BY.T-35 (previous number) and T-35 (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.4737
Object count:
1
Description:
Crown featuring depictions of of the Five Buddhas. Left to right they are Amoghasiddhi, green color, northern direction, gesture of protection; Ratnasambhava, gold color, south, gesture of earth touching (should be gesture of giving; Akshobhya, blue, east, gesture of giving (should be gesture of earth touching); Vairochana, white, center, gesture of teaching; Amitabha, red, west, gesture of meditation.
Donor:
Estate of G. Eleanore Murray and Estate of Theos C. Bernard
Collection place:
Tibet
Verbatim coll. place:
Tibet
Collector:
Theos C. Bernard
Materials:
Cotton (textile) and Silk
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.0 Use not specified (Ritual, Pageantry, and Recreation)
Production date:
19th century
Accession date:
March 12, 2004
Context of use:
This type of crown is worn in rituals of empowerment. These five Buddhas typically function as the Buddhas of Empowerment. After each has given his particular empowerment to the initiate, he takes his seat upon the initiate's head.
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Dimensions:
width 53.34 centimeters, height 30.48 centimeters, and length 0.318 centimeters
Comment:
This is not a particularly good effort. The artist not only confused the hand gestures (mudra) but the positions are incorrect. The directions should follow correctly-east, south, west, north, center. Also, the details are poor, for example, the mudra of Vairocana is wrong.