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Mahasiddha, Possibly Campaka, the Flower King

Date:
early 14th century
Culture:
Tibet
Medium:
Copper alloy
Dimensions:
H. 7 in. (17.8 cm); W. 3 13/16 in. (9.7 cm); D. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
Classification:
Sculpture
Credit Line:
Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift and Rogers Fund, 2003
Accession Number:
2003.376
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 253
A wide-eyed mahasiddha plays symbols and sings ecstatically. Such yogis belong to an Indian tradition of eccentric practitioners of Tantrism, much revered in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. Mahasiddhas were instrumental in introducing the meditation system perfected by the Dzogchen masters of the Nyingma order, founded by Padmasambhava in the eighth century.
Arnold H. Lieberman
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 15, 2010–December 4, 2011.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of the Himalayas," December 3, 2011–December 9, 2012.

Timelines
Himalayan Region, 1000-1400 A.D.

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