Tibet, late 17th century AD
Distemper on cotton

Above the king, rising on a lotus flower, sits the Buddha Shakyamuni. Seated in an interior setting, Vishvarupa holds the ankusha (iron hook or elephant goad) and pasha (rope noose). An auspicious eight-branched red coral is placed in a vase to the left of the king. Rising from the waters, a naga (serpent spirit) carries a lotus blossom to support the king’s foot.

Denman Waldo Ross Collection, 1906   06.343