Shri Devi, Magzor Gyalmo

Shri Devi as “the Queen who Repels Armies,” or Magzor Gyalmo in Tibetan is a wrathful protector deity popular in Tibetan Buddhist traditions. She rides a mule with a bridle of snakes and holds a club in the right hand and skull cup in the left. Above her head is a canopy of peacock feathers. She is adorned with the garland of severed heads which in this painting are all individuated with different expressions.

In this vibrant painting Magzor Gyalmo’s four female attendants at lower left are particularly dramatic in their poses, dismembering corpses, eating hearts, and pulling out entrails. In the opposite lower right corner is the depiction of lay life. Four women are shown in casual poses and objects from everyday material culture appear alongside the incense burner.