Initiation crown with skulls
- DATE:
- 18th–19th century
- MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUE:
- Gilt, paint, and leather
- CLASSIFICATION:
- Costume
- DIMENSIONS:
- Overall: 10 31/32 x 23 x 1/4 in. (27.9 x 58.4 x 0.6 cm.)
- DEPARTMENT:
- Arts of Asia
- LOCATION:
- 304 SNAIL GALLERY
- CREDIT LINE:
- Dallas Museum of Art, gift of David T. Owsley via the Alconda-Owsley Foundation
- COPYRIGHT:
- Image courtesy Dallas Museum of Art
- OBJECT NUMBER:
- 2000.405
General Description
Crowns or headdresses like this example are used in Tibetan Buddhist rituals. They are worn by young men during initiation ceremonies when they are accepted as monks in a Tibetan monastery, or during ritual chanting or monastic ritual dances. The five skulls act as reminders of the transience of human life and emphasize the teaching that a Buddhist must transcend fear of death and attachment to life in order to escape the cycle of reincarnation.
Adapted from
- Label text, Anne Bromberg, 2006.
Web Resources
- Asian Art Museum
Learn more about Tantric Buddhism.