# @rubinmuseum on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DWCa9Yzj_qc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/60419935-rubinmuseum-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/83205d1c34.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-18T19:41:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art (@rubinmuseum) — https://gondola.cc/rubinmuseum

## Caption

What if death was only the beginning of another journey?

This 18th-century Tibetan thangka painting depicts the bardo—the intermediate state between death and rebirth described in Tibetan Buddhism.

Filled with peaceful and wrathful deities, the painting visualizes an imagined journey of consciousness after death. These powerful figures represent experiences the mind may encounter as it moves through this transitional state.

We continue this year’s "Himalayan Art Up Close" series with Rubin Senior Curator Dr. Elena Pakhoutova and Smarthistory’s Dr. Steven Zucker, exploring how this intricate painting helped practitioners prepare for the passage between lives.

Created in collaboration with smarthistory_official.

#BuddhistArt #TibetanArt #HimalayanArt #Thangka

_______
Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo; Tibet; 18th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art,  Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin, C2006.66.17

## Stats

- **Views:** 1,011
- **Likes:** 605
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 3

## Tags

thangka, buddhistart, himalayanart, tibetanart

---
Copyright (c) Gondola