Vajrapani Embroidered Mount with Garuda

Choying Dorje, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicts a vertically oriented, rectangular textile artwork divided into two distinct sections. The top section features a vibrant orange background adorned with clouds and a central figure of a Garuda, a mythical bird-like being. The Garuda is depicted with a human-like body, wings, and a beak-like nose. It wears a necklace and has a black mustache and hair. The figure appears to be sitting on a black object, with its arms outstretched and wings spread wide. The bottom section of the artwork showcases a similar scene with the same Garuda figure, but with some notable differences. The background is also orange with clouds. A large, empty, tan-colored rectangular area dominates the center of the artwork, possibly indicating where the artwork was once mounted or displayed. The artwork appears to be an embroidered mount, likely created by Choying Dorje, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa, and features Vajrapani.