Tibetan Hand Painted Tsakli Ritual Card

A blue figure dances on a parchment-colored ground.

This hand painted tsakli ritual card was made in Tibet in the early 19th century, in paper and pigment. Cards of this type are commonly used in Buddhist initiation ceremonies, often in sets of related deities. The central figure is blue, one arm raised, in a dancing stance above a base of paler forms, against a tan and yellow ground. A thin red border edges the card, and the paper shows soft, age-worn spots. It is mounted in a white mat and black frame.

The frame is about 18 by 15 inches. A small card with a big stride.