Sharabha (Himalayan throne-back figure)

Overview

Himalayan Art Resources identifies a seventeenth-century Tibetan metal fragment, item65865 in a private collection, as a boy riding a sharabha or flying horse. In this throne-back tradition the horse can incorporate lion-like characteristics and stands above a lion or snow lion. The catalogue proposes, without certainty, that Rubin snow-lion fragment C2002.30.9 belonged beneath it.

The figure belongs to a vertical arrangement of elephants, lions, horse-and-rider groups, makaras, nagas and a crowning garuda. This object-specific Himalayan use of the name is recorded separately from other Indian Sharabha narratives; an eight-legged or many-headed anatomy is not inferred from the shared name.

Origins & earliest records

Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist iconography

Records & interpretation

Located object descriptions or openly published textual witness directly read; no independent image inspection asserted.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Jeff Watt, Himalayan Art Resources65865, September2010

   Himalayan Art Resources / named custodial source

   Exact source record; object and publication dates retained in description.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Custodial/art-historical descriptionJeff Watt, Himalayan Art Resources65865, September2010Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.