Art Institute of Chicago

Milarepa on Mount Kailash

Tibet

Date: c. 1500
Medium: Pigment and gold on cotton
Culture: Tibet
Department: Arts of Asia
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

Milarepa (1040–1123) was a beloved Tibetan singer poet, mystic, teacher, and Buddhist saint. In this thangka, a painted cloth that can be rolled up for portability, Milarepa sits in a cave on Mount Kailash, which is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. In front of him, Lake Manasarovar flows by in wavy blue and green bands. Milarepa is flanked by his disciples, and his teacher, Marpa, appears in a medallion above him. Dazzling snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas frame each of the central figures, and below them multicolored foothills appear as prismatic spikes refracting the sun’s rays like jewels. The Five Sisters of Long Life appear along the perimeter of the thangka; devoted to Milarepa, these mountain goddesses are fierce protectors of Buddhism. The other side of this thangka contains a long inscription in Tibetan that describes the events of the saint’s life. It helps establish this work as one of the earliest surviving depictions of Milarepa. Milarepa (1040–1123) was a beloved Tibetan singer poet, mystic, teacher, and Buddhist saint. In this thangka, a painted cloth that can be rolled up for portability, Milarepa sits in a cave on Mount Kailash, which is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. In front of him, Lake Manasarovar fl ows by in wavy blue and green bands. Milarepa is fl anked by his disciples, and his teacher, Marpa, appears in a medallion above him. Dazzling snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas frame each of the central fi gures, and below them multicolored foothills appear as prismatic spikes refracting the sun’s rays like jewels. The Five Sisters of Long Life appear along the perimeter of the thangka; devoted to Milarepa, these mountain goddesses are fi erce protectors of Buddhism. The other side of this thangka contains a long inscription in Tibetan that describes the events of the saint’s life. It helps establish this work as one of the earliest surviving depictions of Milarepa.

View at Art Institute of Chicago ↗

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.