Unknown
Yama and Yamicirca 1675-1725

On view:

Resnick Pavilion, floor 1

Tibetan thangka painting of a multi-headed, multi-armed blue wrathful deity striding over a turquoise bull and a reclining figure, surrounded by swirling orange flames

Tibetan thangka painting depicting a large blue wrathful deity with multiple faces, a crown of skulls, and flowing golden hair, riding a blue animal and surrounded by attendant figures against a swirling red and orange flame background.

Tibetan thangka detail, dark blue wrathful deity with multiple eyes, crown of skull heads, and flowing brown hair, surrounded by orange flames and swirling clouds; a blue animal figure and two black birds appear at right, rendered in opaque mineral pigments with fine line work.

Tibetan thangka detail, close view of a wrathful deity with deep blue skin, three wide red-rimmed eyes, bared fangs, and orange flame-like hair, crowned with a tiara of white skulls; a smaller human figure appears at lower right against a teal background with gold linear detailing.

Tibetan thangka painting, detail of a wrathful deity with deep blue skin, multiple faces, and a crown of skulls, surrounded by swirling orange flames; a zoomorphic blue creature appears at lower right against a cream background with red and orange cloud forms.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka depicting a wrathful blue deity with multiple arms, bulging eyes, fanged open mouth, and a crown of white skull ornaments, surrounded by swirling orange flames and golden hair; a smaller blue animal-headed figure appears at lower right, with a human figure held below the central deity; vivid mineral pigments with visible age cracking.

Tibetan thangka detail, mineral pigments on cloth; a teal blue bull-like creature with red-tipped horns reclines atop a prone human figure against orange flame clouds; a dark blue deity rides above; lower register depicts skull and lotus motifs with small figures amid red flames; fine linear detailing throughout.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka painting showing a partial deity figure in the upper register with pale skin, dark hair, and gold earrings, reclining against a blue-green background. Below, an ornate border depicts a red wrathful deity head flanked by white vessels with flames, lotus blossoms, and severed heads along the lower edge, rendered in vivid red, green, blue, and gold pigments with visible aging and surface wear.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka painting; swirling orange flames on a blue ground surround a white skeletal figure with a red skull-like face, alongside a black bird form and multicolored clouds at upper left, rendered in flat opaque pigments with fine outlines.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka painting; a blue wrathful deity with an animal-headed figure strides through swirling orange flames, holding a spotted animal skin, with severed heads at the waist; vivid teal, orange, and cream pigments with fine line work.

Tibetan thangka detail showing a standing deity figure with red face and white flowing garments, surrounded by orange flames against a blue ground, with pastel clouds at upper right and a serpentine form at left.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka, mineral pigments on cloth, depicting swirling orange and cream flames surrounding a blue ritual implement or weapon, with a twisted black rope, white skull figures at left, and green cloud forms at upper right against a teal ground; surface shows areas of paint wear.

Pigment on paper or cloth, detail showing three fierce deity heads stacked vertically—beige, green, and blue—each with protruding red tongues, connected by a red cord, set against swirling orange and cream flames; deep teal background with white linear patterns at right; aged, abraded surface.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka painting showing swirling orange and cream flames against a teal background, with three wrathful deity heads in blue, green, and yellow at right, rendered in mineral pigments with fluid, curving brushwork.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka painting showing a large blue wrathful deity with horns, red fangs, and a bulbous nose looming over a pale human figure with dark hair and gold earrings, set against swirling orange and white flame patterns; flat mineral pigments with fine ink linework.

Detail of a Tibetan thangka painting on cloth; swirling orange and cream flames fill a green background, with a partial red-robed figure and blue lotus petals at lower left, and small ritual vessels beneath a flame motif at center left; fine gold line work visible on the robe.

Detail of a painted scroll or panel, showing a red demonic face with wide white eyes, bared teeth, and dark hair, against a blue background with flowing lines; aged and crackled paint surface visible.

Tibetan thangka detail, red wrathful deity with multiple heads and raised arms standing atop a white animal on a lotus base, surrounded by swirling dark flames against a green background, with visible paint wear.

Tibetan thangka detail, mineral pigments on cloth; a white-skinned wrathful deity with an animal head and multiple human faces on the torso stands atop a prone figure, surrounded by swirling red flames against a green and blue ground.

Tibetan thangka painting depicting a wrathful deity with multiple faces and a crown of skulls, surrounded by billowing orange flames, standing atop a prone figure amid green clouds, with fine gold line work and red, orange, and green pigments; paint wear visible throughout.

Tibetan thangka painting, detail showing a blue-skinned wrathful deity with multiple arms and a crown of skulls, standing amid orange flames and pink clouds on a red lotus base, with visible age cracking and paint loss throughout.

Tibetan thangka painting depicting a multi-armed wrathful deity with dark blue skin, crowned with skulls and surrounded by orange flames, standing over a prone pale figure on a red lotus platform above stylized clouds; orange, green, and red palette with fine gold line work.

Tibetan thangka detail, deep blue wrathful deity with red face and multiple arms surrounded by swirling orange flames, small skull figures in flowing hair, a second dark-skinned figure at lower left, painted in mineral pigments with fine linework

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Yama and Yami
Place Made: Eastern Tibet, Kham region
Date Made: circa 1675-1725
Medium: Mineral pigments and gold on cotton cloth
Dimensions: Image: 94 1/2 x 58 1/4 in. (240.03 x 147.96 cm); Overall (with former mount): 317.5 x 212.09 cm. (125 x 83 1/2 in)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Zimmerman
Accession Number: M.71.78
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: At 94 ½ inches in height, this is one of the largest Tibetan ceremonial paintings (thangka) outside of Tibet. It depicts the Vajrayana (esoteric) Buddhist protective deities Yama and his sister Yami. Yama is the Lord of the Underworld who judges the soul at the gates of hell. As a Dharmaraja (King of the [Buddhist] Law), Yama is a major member of the Dharmapalas (Protectors of the [Buddhist] Law), who are believed to defend Buddhism and its teachings, and destroy the hindrances of its followers. He is specifically depicted here in his conceptual form of the Outer Yamaraja (Lord of Death), who protects Buddhists and monasteries from droughts, bandits, and other evils. See also M.84.104.

The macabre imagery of Yama and Yami serves to terrify those who might seek to harm Buddhists. Yama is thus represented in a fierce form surrounded by brilliant areola of billowing flames. He has a buffalo’s head and wears a diadem of skulls, bone ornaments, and a long garland of severed heads. He carries a chastising staff and a noose to bind souls. Yami, equally horrific, offers him a skullcup full of demon-blood elixir. They stand aggressively on a blue bull, which crushes a female figure symbolic of ignorant life. Beneath them are ritual offerings of multicolored gems and skullcups filled with gruesome body parts and organs intended to remind devotees of the impermanence of one’s physical body. Five small images of Yama, each a different color representing a distinct conceptual form, appear in the four corners and apex of the painting. The green landscape along the bottom and sides of the thangka are characteristic of eastern Tibetan painting.
Selected Bibliography: Little, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, Karina Romero Blanco, Silvia Seligson, Marco Antonio Karam. Las Huellas de Buda. Ciudad de México : Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2018.
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.

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