Date: First half of 20th century
Area: Guide, Qinghai province
Material: Lacquer
Donated by Qinghai Provincial Museum

• Object Type：
  • OTHERS
• Location：
  • Chinese Minority Nationalities' Art Gallery
• Tag：
  • mask yamantaka cham dance tibet 20th century qinghai lacquer

This is a Tibetan sorcerer's mask used in religious rites. It is closer to the masks hung in the temples but quite different from the Tibetan opera masks. The body is coated with paint on the outside, the mask is light and handy, even newer with time and easy to preserve. Bull head Vajrahasa is a Dharma Protector, from the Esoteric Sect of Dge-lugspa of Tibetan Buddhism, also known as ‘Yamantaka Vajrahasa’, whose image is a solemn god wearing a skull on the head. His three-eye shape is influenced by Siva of Hinduism. There are two bull horns, decorated with golden cloud design with two small bells on the ears which can make pleasant sounds during the dancing performances.