Ascetic Master, probably a Mahasiddha

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A dramatically poised Indian yogi kneels on a flayed buffalo skin and holds aloft a skull cup. He is likely the mahasiddha Kapalapa (“Skull-cup Bearer”), one of the Indian eccentric yogis and practitioners of Tantrism so revered in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. This icon likely portrays a Dzogchen master of the Nyingma order who practiced as an ascetic yogi.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art