TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

In Mahayana Buddhism, Vaishravana is a worldly protector and benefactor. He is the leader of the yaksha race and chief of the Four Directional Guardians, who swore an oath of protection at the feet of Buddha Shakyamuni. His iconography, with corpulent form and a jewel-spewing mongoose, is descended from the Indian wealth deity, Kubera. In Tibetan Buddhism, there are numerous forms of Vaishravana, but the present work's depiction of him triumphantly riding a lion surrounded by his retinue figures on horseback is one of the most common. The meditation practice of Vaishravana riding a lion was popularized by Atisha, the 11th century Indian guru who reintroduced Buddhism to Tibet.