TIBET, 19TH CENTURY

The blue-skinned couple, in union, floats above a lake on a lotus supported by two vajras. Bound to wisdom through Mamaki’s embrace, Achala cuts through ignorance with his flaming sword. In the blue sky above, the primordial buddha Samantabhadra and his consort Samantabhadri form another perfect union. The guardian kings of the four directions flank the couples on either side. Painted in a provincial New Menri style, this esoteric yab-yum image is rooted in a sacred text of the highest yoga tantra class of Buddhism.