Nagpo Chenpo (Mahakala)

Tibet

18th century

Iron

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The fierce Nagpo Chenpo (Sanskrit: Mahakala) is one of eight protective deities in Tibetan Buddhism. He takes a range of forms, and in this small cast-iron sculpture he is shown in his six-armed form, with widely splayed legs, flaming hair, and attributes such as a rosary of skulls and a skull cup. His chopper symbolizes the severing of samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Although the vast majority of religious sculptures in Tibet were fashioned from bronze or copper using the lost wax technique, examples cast in iron, such as this one, are also known. Gallery G255 Gift of the John C. Weber Collection