Item: Shri Devi (Buddhist Protector) - Retinue Figure

Simhamukha (Lion-faced Attendant): from the retinue of Shri Devi, Magzor Gyalmo.

The Lion-Faced Attendant is the second of the two servants that accompany the popular female protector known as The Glorious Goddess, Queen with the Power to Turn Back Armies. The first servant has the head of a sea monster and leads the mule that serves as the mount for the Glorious Goddess. The Lion-faced Attendant follows behind, always attentive and looking upward, ready to perform any command of her mistress.

A large sculpture such as this would be created for a protector shrine within a large temple and would not be available for viewing by the general public.

The various parts of the sculpture, such as the hands, forearms, head and torso are cast individually and then assembled to create the finished figure. The head and upper torso of the Lion-faced Attendant are all that remain of this once magnificent and much larger sculpture of the Glorious Goddess and her two fearsome servants.

Jeff Watt 9-2004

Thematic Sets
Sculpture, Metal: Buddhist Deities
Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi, Sculpture
Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi, Retinue Figures
Collection of RMA: Selected Sculpture
Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi, Magzor Gyalmo (Rubin Museum)
Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi (Early Works, Sculpture)
Collection of RMA: Shri Devi Masterworks
Sculpture: Metal
Buddhist Protector: Shri Devi Main Page
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art: Sculpture (Gallery 1)