Tantric Female Enlightened Being (Vajrayogini) Holding a Skull Cup

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This metal image represents Vajrayogini, an important tantric goddess in Tibetan Buddhism visualized by adepts to aid them in spiritual attainment. Vajrayogini’s contorted face, bared fangs, and garland of skulls evince her fearsome nature. She wears a revealing bone skirt, holds a kapala (skull cup) in her left hand, and displays a khatvanga (scepter) behind her right shoulder. The figure’s attributes and posture accord with representations of Vajrayogini in the Naropa tradition except for the unusual rosary of human heads in her right hand, which normally holds a kartrika (flaying knife).

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