TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

Six-armed Mahakala, chief protector of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, holds a flaming triratna in a primary hand and stands on a supine Ganapati, illustrating his role as the wish-granting form of Mahakala. The reverse of the stele is cut out revealing the back of the figure modeled in the round, a device inherited from Indian Pala-period sculpture. The polychromy, which may be a later addition, adds vibrancy to this already animated figure.

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24513.