A PAINTED LEATHER RITUAL CROWN WITH THE FIVE PRESIDING BUDDHAS AND CONSORTS TIBET OR MONGOLIA, CIRCA 17TH CENTURYA PAINTED LEATHER RITUAL CROWN WITH THE FIVE PRESIDING BUDDHAS AND CONSORTSTIBET OR MONGOLIA, CIRCA 17TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no. 4723 Each panel: 18 x 10 cm (7 x 4 in.) approx. 西藏或蒙古 約十七世紀 皮質彩繪五佛法冠Crowns such as these conveyed the esoteric power of a Vajra master, and were worn during tantric initiation and empowerment rites. Depicted on each plaque are the cosmic buddhas, who preside over the five cardinal directions that make up the cosmos. Compare with a closely related gilt-framed crown, published in Tingley, Buddhas, 2009, p. 90, pl. 26. Also compare with other crowns in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1985.391); Reynolds, Tibetan Collection, Newark, no. P6; Orientations, October 1998, p. 62; Menzies, Goddess, 2006, no. 149; Huntington & Bangdel, Circle of Bliss, 2003, no. 62 and another in the Musees royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Brussels) attributed to Inner Mongolia (HAR 61287).Provenance:Private California Collection, acquired in Hong Kong in the 1980s