Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi Mandala, 1400-1500, 16 5/16 x 15 1/2 in. (41.43 x 39.37 cm) (image), Pigments on cloth, Tibet, 15th century, The sacred diagram of the cosmos and resplendent deities painted on this thangka were intended to serve as a meditation device for a tantric practitioner. The practitioner would have read an associated text and then visualized in three dimensions the palatial structure depicted here, which is seen from above with a single gateway at its bottom. At the center, the god Chakramsavara embraces his red consort, Vajravarahi. The surrounding circle contains Cosmic Buddhas, dancing Dakinis (demi-goddesses), and the Shakyamuni Buddha, while the upper and lower registers contain protective and auspicious deities and lineage teachers.