Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Ritual Dagger and Curved Knife
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
This unique and exquisitely crafted ritual object combines the Tibetan dagger with the curved knife. Animating the dagger is the power of the three deities whose faces (one with a horse's head above it) appear at the top: they destroy ignorance, desire, and hatred. The blade, which has the form of a butcher's flaying knife, cuts through ignorance and evil tendencies. The section opposite the curved blade has the shape of a "vajra" (thunderbolt).
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Rudi Rudolph, New York City; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, 1969; given to Walters Art Museum, 2007.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
Tibet (Place of Origin)
Measurements
L: 16 5/8 × W: 8 1/2 × D: 2 3/4 in. (42.2 × 21.6 × 7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2007
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
51.1448