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Vajrabhairava with consort Vajravetali
Tibetan
17th century
Object Place: Tibet
Medium/Technique
Copper and brass, partially silvered and gilt, with pigment and inlaid semi-precious gems
Dimensions
Height x width: 55.2 × 43.2 × 22.9 cm (21 3/4 × 17 × 9 in.)
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number21.2168
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionMulti-armed, multi-legged, and multi-headed Vajrabhairava stands in sexual embrace with his consort. Vajrabhairava stands in a striding stance; his consorts legs are wrapped around his waist. The god's primary face is that of a buffalo. He wears a garland of severed heads and an elephant skin and holds attributes in every hand. He stands on the prostrate bodies of Hindu deities and animals.
ProvenanceWilliam Sturgis Bigelow (b. 1850 - d. 1926), Boston [see note 1]; 1921, gift of William Sturgis Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 6, 1921)
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.
NOTES:
[1] Much of Bigelow's collection of Asian art was formed during his residence in Japan between 1882 and 1889, although he also made acquisitions in Europe and the United States. Bigelow deposited many of these objects at the MFA in 1890 before donating them to the Museum's collection at later dates.