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In this early representation of Palden Lhamo peaceful and wrathful features are combined. While her facial expression is extremely wrathful, with fangs in her mouth, the goddess wears a dhoti and also jewelry. The goddess has four arms and brandishes a sword and a tantric staff in her upper hands and a skull cup and a staff with a peacock feather in her lower ones. She sits sideways on her mount, and her legs are chained together. Her saddle is a human skin. She likely represents a form of the “smoke-clad” goddess Dusolma, although she does not possess all of the characteristics found in textual descriptions of that goddess.
Pelden Lhamo Dusolma “Smoke-Clad Goddess”
OriginTibet
Date14th century
Dimensions11 3/8 × 5 1/4 × 1/2 in.
MediumPigments on cloth
Classification(s)
Credit LineRubin Museum of Art
Object numberC2001.3.1
Himalayan Art Resources Number65007
DescriptionIn this small gem of a painting the dark main deity is set against a horseshoe shaped halo of whirling flames. The agitated movement of this wrathful goddess contrasts with the rather static profile depiction of her mount. Remarkable is the patterning of the human skin that forms her saddle, the elephant skin flayed behind her, and her clothing, which appears to be an abstraction of wickerwork. Most telling in terms of attribution are the high, flat hair knot and the long and slim triangular ornaments seen in the crown and the bracelets. The yellow border and the dark-blue background featuring large blossoms are characteristic of the period. In this early representation of Palden Lhamo peaceful and wrathful features are combined. While her facial expression is extremely wrathful, with fangs in her mouth, the goddess wears a dhoti and also jewelry. The goddess has four arms and brandishes a sword and a tantric staff in her upper hands and a skull cup and a staff with a peacock feather in her lower ones. She sits sideways on her mount, and her legs are chained together. Her saddle is a human skin. She likely represents a form of the “smoke-clad” goddess Dusolma, although she does not possess all of the characteristics found in textual descriptions of that goddess.
Not on view
19th century
19th century
10th century
20th century
Dated by inscription 1796
20th century
19th century
19th century
17th or 18th century
17th or 18th century
12th century