I have a tiger tattooed on my thigh. I’m planning on getting another tiger tattooed on my thigh within the next couple of years. So, probably for this reason I feel a special kinship to the tiger. Anything tiger-related immediately gets my attention.
Cue these 19th-century Tibetan rugs, which are different iterations of a tiger laying down. Some are more realistic than others, and all are beautiful in their design and coloring.
Tiger rugs specifically have a place in the Tibetan rug tradition. In a religious context, they relate to the tiger skin loin cloths seen in painted images of Tibetan Buddhist gods. The tiger skin is believe to provided protection to someone who is meditating. Some rugs have leopard spots on them as well, which is a sign of wrathful female gods that sport snow leopard spot loin cloths.
All images via Giovanni Garcia-Fenech’s Flickr. H/T Collector’s Dream.
