An antique 19th Century or earlier tsakli painting in mineral pigments and burnished gold on cloth, depicting, within a tranquil landscape, two wrathful deities bursting forth, each within a slightly elongated nimbus of flames. The upper deity with a white body, holding a dharmacakra and a trisula in his hands steps to the right. He wears a burnished gold skull diadem beneath his streaming hair, gold necklaces, armlets, bracelets, anklets, and a garland of severed heads, with a flayed elephant skin about his shoulders.
The lower deity with a green body holds a sword and a snake with a spurt of flames in his hands
also steps to the right. He too wears a with a flayed elephant skin about his shoulders, burnished gold skull diadem beneath his streaming hair, gold necklaces, armlets, bracelets, anklets, and a garland of severed heads. A single line of fine Tibetan text to the reverse. 9.2 x 11cm

Tsakli are ritual or initiation cards used in ceremonies such as empowerment, and are a visualisation aid designed so a lama or practitioner can carry all he or she requires to invoke deities or their ritual implements and create a mandala for a ritual wherever it may be needed.