Open to Collaborate Notice
Our institution is committed to the development of new modes of collaboration, engagement, and partnership with Indigenous peoples for the care and stewardship of past and future heritage collections.
Attribution Incomplete Notice
Collections and items in our institution have incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing attribution. We are using this notice to clearly identify this material so that it can be updated, or corrected by communities of origin. Our institution is committed to collaboration and partnerships to address this problem of incorrect or missing attribution.
Traditional Knowledge Notice
The TK Notice is a visible notification that there are accompanying cultural rights and responsibilities that need further attention for any future sharing and use of this material. The TK Notice may indicate that TK Labels are in development and their implementation is being negotiated. For more information about the TK Notice, visit localcontexts.org.
Biocultural Notice
The BC Notice is a visible notification that there are accompanying cultural rights and responsibilities that need further attention for any future sharing and use of this material or data. The BC Notice recognizes the rights of Indigenous peoples to permission the use of the information (DSI) generated from the biodiversity or genetic resources associated with traditional lands, waters, and territories. The BC Notice may indicate that BC Labels are in development and their implementation is being negotiated. For more information about the BC Notice, visit localcontexts.org.
Learn more about our Local Contexts research and to connect with Newfields' staff.
Artwork Details
26-1/2 x 24 in.
Accession NumberGift of Walter E. and Tekla B. Wolf
CopyrightAsian Art (Chinese and other Asian)
Color PaletteProvenance
Mumbai, India. Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Wolf; through Mr. Walter E. Wolf, Jr. via Klineman, Rose and Wolf, Indianapolis; given to the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 1992.
Gallery Labels
Masterfully carved from human and animal bones, this elaborate bone apron would have been worn with a matching hat, a chest ornament, armbands, bracelets, and anklets during ritual dances and ceremonies associated with Tantric Buddhism.
The upper section of the apron consists of seven oblong bone pieces. Depicted on them are four-armed deities standing on lotus thrones and wearing long garlands made of human skulls. The deity depicted in the center has three heads and is standing on five corpses. This sacred apron is further decorated with double stands of bone beads interspersed with diamond-shaped ornaments carved with the eight auspicious Buddhist symbols. Bells are attached under the heads of guardian deities at the bottom edge.
“The significance of wearing such ornamentation symbolizes one’s own death and the necessary release of one’s attachment to the human physical body in order to effectively pursue enlightenment.”
Exhibition History
Exhibition Name
Venue
Dates
Content Disclaimer and Usage Rights
Metadata about the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection comes from Newfields’ records and research. In some cases, information may be incomplete and research is ongoing. Newfields’ goal is to have as up-to-date metadata as possible, therefore, this information is subject to change. Newfields collections’ metadata is available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) waiver, which allows for re-use without legal restrictions.
Artworks that appear in the image file(s) above may be in copyright or have other legal and/or cultural restrictions to their use. For clarity, Newfields does not claim copyright to the image files created by Newfields of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Newfields makes every effort to ascertain the copyright status of artworks in the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s collection. Please refer to the RightsStatements.org statement above for information about the current copyright status of the artwork. Additionally, some artworks may include Local Context’s Notices or Labels that attribute cultural authority of the artwork’s heritage and data.
Additional information about Newfields’ reproduction guidelines can be found in the Licensing Resources.