Tantric Rug with Two Flayed Male Figures

The rug features a vibrant red field dominated by two pale, ochre-colored flayed human figures. The figures are splayed with their arms raised and legs extended, displaying exposed rib cages and anatomical musculature. Their heads, rendered in a wrathful tantric style, face outward toward the short ends of the rug, while their bodies meet in the center. The border is composed of a repetitive sequence of skulls and wrathful deities rendered in shades of blue, orange, and pale yellow against a muted background. The overall composition is symmetrical, emphasizing a dualistic or inverted iconography typical of tantric ritual textiles used in meditative or chthonic contexts.

This piece relates to Tibetan Buddhist tantric iconography, specifically the practice of 'chöd' or wrathful deity meditation, where the flaying of the ego is represented through imagery of skeletons and flayed skins (often associated with the dakinis or protectors like Mahakala). Such textiles were typically used as ritual seats during Vajrayana meditative retreats involving the transformation of consciousness through exposure to the macabre.