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A hand-painted thangka of a red two-armed wrathful protector of the Mahakala family, framed under glass in a dark bronze-toned wood frame, ready to hang.
The deity stands in warrior pose on a corpse laid across a white moon disc and a pink-and-green lotus throne. His body is deep red, with three bulging eyes, bared fangs and a curling beard; his olive-green hair streams upward, topped with a half-vajra and a small crest ornament, and crowned with five white skulls. He wears a garland of freshly severed heads, a green scarf that whips around his arms, and gold jewelry at the neck, wrists and ankles, with fine white dot-and-line markings across the body. The raised right hand holds a curved flaying knife; the left holds a skull cup at the heart. A great halo of orange and gold flames fills the upper half of the picture, framed by blue clouds and a blue sky, with snow peaks and green hills behind and blue water at the base.
The painting is in the bright, precise Kathmandu style: mineral-style pigments on prepared cotton, with real gold detailing in the flames, the jewelry and the throne. The flame halo alone contains dozens of individually drawn tongues, each edged in gold. Wrathful protectors like this one are placed in a home or shrine to remove obstacles; the ferocity is directed at ignorance, not at the viewer.
Measurements: 12 x 15 inches (30 x 38 cm) framed; painting approximately 10.5 x 13.5 inches. Wood frame with glass and hanging hardware on the back.
Condition: excellent. Pigment fully intact, gold bright, no flaking, fading or staining. Frame and glass clean with no chips. Any reflections in the photos are the glass.
Ships in a rigid box with corner protectors and glass-safe wrapping, insured, within one business day. Worldwide shipping with tracking.
Item specifics: Region of Origin: Nepal · Material: Cotton, pigments, gold · Subject: Mahakala, wrathful protector, dharmapala · Handmade: Yes · Original/Reproduction: Original · Framed: Yes · Size: 12 x 15 in
Photos: front straight on without glare; the face and skull crown; the knife hand; the skull cup; the head garland; the flames close up to show the gold; the corpse and lotus base; the frame corner and back.
