Lot 22: A thangka of Avalokiteshvara Shadakshari Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art

Tibet, mid-14th century Distemper on cloth; seated on a lotus throne rising from aquatic vines, holding the lotus and mala and displaying the gesture of greeting with his four hands, surrounded by a divine entourage, lineage masters, and lay patrons. Image: 17 3/8 x 15 1/4 in. (44.1 x 38.7 cm)

44.1 x 38.7 cm

: Private Collection, New York

The thangka depicts Avalokiteshvara as the personification of the mantra om mani padme hum ('hail to the jewel in the lotus'). This ubiquitous Tibetan mantra is thought to contain the essence of the bodhisattva, the Lord of Compassion. He is flanked by the goddess Shadakshari, who reflects him in female form on the right, and Manidhara ('Jewel Holder') on the left. They sit within a grotto-like pavilion joined by Manjushri and Vajrapani. The grotto's rainbow border evokes the emanating brilliance of the deities. Above, in multi-colored stylized rocky outcrops, sit the five Dhyani Buddhas and two rishis, with the chief of the lotus family, Buddha Amitabha, at the apex. David Jackson discusses this painting at length in the context of lineage thangkas and the development of the Nepalese painting tradition in Tibet. A Kadampa lineage begins in the top left corner with Shakyamuni and Vajradhara and continues on the right, featuring Tilopa and Atisha. The second tier begins with Droton Kunga Gyaltshen, who flourished in the early to mid-fourteenth century, and continues with other lineage masters. Three more gurus populate the bottom left corner, while three lay patrons, possibly a father and two sons, appear in the bottom right corner. The painting belongs to what Jackson terms the Sakya/Yuan period of the early Beri style of Nepalese painting in Tibet (circa 1260s-1350s). Chief among the style's characteristics exhibited in this painting is the intricate red and indigo scrollwork behind the central figures. Avalokiteshvara's dhoti is also longer, and his crown-leaves are more prominent, when compared to a related composition in the Pala-style held in the Walters Art Museum (ibid., p. 114, fig. 6.21). The thangka is closely related to the later Yuan-period murals of Shalu monastery (1320s-30, cf. ibid. fig 6.16, p. 107) and an early-14th century thangka of Shadakshari held in a private collection (ibid., p. 110, fig. 6.19), conferring a slightly later date of the mid-14th century. Referenced: HAR – himalayanart.org/image.cfm/41209.html Published: David P. Jackson, The Nepalese Legacy in Tibetan Painting, New York, 2010, p. 112, fig. 6.20