TIBET, 12TH CENTURY

Each piece of this crown is dedicated to one of the Five Tathagatas: Ratnasambhava sits upon a lotus throne supported by horses; Akshobhya by elephants; Mahavairochana by lions; Amitabha by peacocks; and Amoghasiddhi by garudas. A kirtimukha or “face of glory,” sits atop the shrine-like structure carved around each buddha, below which the largest portions of gilding remain. The dark, rich wood makes the remaining gilding gleam under the light. Thus, one can imagine how this nine-hundred-year-old crown once gleamed as a fully-gilded crown used for ritual practices and empowerments, initiating practitioners into new Tantric traditions. The seed syllables on the back of each petal correspond to the essence of each deity. Few of this type, composed of carved wood, exist in full form. However, the present example is most similar to the two ritual diadem plaques at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.79.151.1-2) published by Pratapaditya Pal in Art of Tibet, Los Angeles, 1983, p. 240, fig. R2.