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Vajracharya Priest's Crown

Vajracharya Priest's Crown. Culture: Nepal. Dimensions: H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm). Date: 13th-early 14th century. Elaborate crowns such as this were worn by Vajracarya priests, the highest rank in the Nepalese Buddhist community. The conical crown is unique to Newari Buddhism and embodies a memory of older and now lost Indian Buddhist practices. The term Vajracarya denotes both a caste and a family name, and the designation entitles its holders to perform reserved priestly functions, analogous to the privileges held by Brahmans in Hinduism. This crown is exceptional in its complexity: It is dominated by a series of diadem plaques depicting emanations of the wisdom bodhisattva Manjushri, benign and wrathful. All is surmounted by a five-pronged thunderbolt scepter, or vajra. This unique iconography points to the crown being designed for enacting rites dedicated to invoking Manjushri.
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Title:
Vajracharya Priest's Crown
Caption:
Vajracharya Priest's Crown. Culture: Nepal. Dimensions: H. 12 in. (30.5 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm). Date: 13th-early 14th century. Elaborate crowns such as this were worn by Vajracarya priests, the highest rank in the Nepalese Buddhist community. The conical crown is unique to Newari Buddhism and embodies a memory of older and now lost Indian Buddhist practices. The term Vajracarya denotes both a caste and a family name, and the designation entitles its holders to perform reserved priestly functions, analogous to the privileges held by Brahmans in Hinduism. This crown is exceptional in its complexity: It is dominated by a series of diadem plaques depicting emanations of the wisdom bodhisattva Manjushri, benign and wrathful. All is surmounted by a five-pronged thunderbolt scepter, or vajra. This unique iconography points to the crown being designed for enacting rites dedicated to invoking Manjushri.
Technique/material:
Gilt-copper alloy inlaid with semiprecious stones, lapis lazuli, and turquoise
Period:
early Malla period
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?
Image size:
3258 x 4400 px | 41.0 MB
Print size:
27.6 x 37.3 cm | 10.9 x 14.7 in (300 dpi)
Keywords: