Vajracharya priest’s crown with lapis lazuli inlays. Nepal, 14th century [1500×1600] by MunakataSennin
September 14, 2024Roman mosaic showing muse with a theatrical mask. Object found in Trier, Germany. [357×350]
September 14, 2024“Jadeite Cabbage with Insects” – a piece of jadeite carved to look like a bokchoy with a locust and a katydid hidden amongst its leaves. Originally a gift to the consort of the Qing Emperor in 1889, it is today housed in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan. [2291×3052]
MunakataSennin on August 31, 2024 7:06 am [Museum](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/749151). Embellished with numerous, varied semiprecious stones, this example is perhaps the most ornate and best preserved of the known Vajracharya crowns. All the applied decor is repoussé gilt-copper sheet riveted to the crown; only the thunderbolt (vajra) finial, which surmounts all the crowns, was cast. Four Transcendent Buddhas occupy the cardinal positions around the lower section of crown, and the presence of the fifth, presiding Transcendent Buddha, Vairocana, is likely implied by the vajra finial. The curvature of the diadem band, richly inlaid with lapis lazuli, is particularly pronounced and gives an exceptional elegance to this crown.
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[Museum](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/749151). Embellished with numerous, varied semiprecious stones, this example is perhaps the most ornate and best preserved of the known Vajracharya crowns. All the applied decor is repoussé gilt-copper sheet riveted to the crown; only the thunderbolt (vajra) finial, which surmounts all the crowns, was cast. Four Transcendent Buddhas occupy the cardinal positions around the lower section of crown, and the presence of the fifth, presiding Transcendent Buddha, Vairocana, is likely implied by the vajra finial. The curvature of the diadem band, richly inlaid with lapis lazuli, is particularly pronounced and gives an exceptional elegance to this crown.