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The attributes of Kubera ('Lord of Horses'), a wealth-protecting deity and an aspect of Vaiśravaṇa, the guardian king of the northerly direction. This is a comparatively quiet and peaceful painting indicating that Kubera is not a wrathful deity but associated with wealth and its pleasures. It is embellished with garlands of jewels instead of the garlands of entrails shown in the more sombre paintings in this series. In the centre is an offering cake in the form of a pagoda with four steps leading up to it. On the highest step is a mongoose or ichneumon (usually a handheld attribute of Kubera) spitting jewels into a vessel filled with jewels. On the third step can be seen a double drum, a pair of king's earrings, a pair of queen's earrings and a bundle of crossed sticks which has been interpreted as the wood used for cremations, a kind of memento mori.
Title
Attributes of Kubera in a 'Rgyan Tshogs' Banner
Medium
distemper on linen
Measurements
H 63 x W 47 cm
Accession number
47097i
Acquisition method
presumed to be part of the collection formed by Henry S. Wellcome
Work type
Banner