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Hevajra with Consort Nairatmya
OriginTibet or Nepal
Date14th or 16th - 17th century
Dimensions6 7/8 × 4 3/8 × 4 in.
MediumCopper alloy with copper and silver inlays and pigments
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2003.55.2
Himalayan Art Resources Number65370
DescriptionHevajra is a principal meditational deity in a secret tantric practice especially important to the Sakya Buddhist tradition. Here he is shown with eight heads, sixteen arms, and four legs. Each face has three wide eyes and an open, smiling mouth. Hevajra appears in union with his consort, Nairatmya, who is wearing a necklace of skulls. The two are stamping on human bodies as a symbol of taming enemies and cutting through ignorance. The fan-shaped hair knots, row of multiple heads, and facial features, as well as the sculpture’s circular pedestal, are reminiscent of works of art from northeastern India. However, the proportions of the figures and less-refined details suggest it has a Tibetan origin.16th century
12th century
17th century
15th century
18th century
11th century
mid-15th-16th century
19th century
13th century
ca. 12th century
early 18th century, ca. 1720
15th century