A POLYCHROMED WOOD FIGURE OF CHITIPATITIBET, 19TH CENTURY Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1422 17 in. (45 cm) high 西藏 十九世紀 彩繪木雕屍陀林主像 Vivaciously dancing, this embracing skeletal couple serves to exorcise obstacles to enlightenment and highlight the transience of time. Here, the male holds a stick made of a human spine and skull-cup filled with blood. Aside from holding a sheaf of grain, his partner holds a vase that has a shape moremonly linked to the Gelugkpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. See a painted wooden pair of dancing Chitipatis in the Tibet Museum, Gruyères (ABS 302). Provenance: The Richard Harris Collection, Chicago