A THANGKA OF RED AMITAYUS, 18TH – 19TH CENTUR... Lot n° 306

A THANGKA OF RED AMITAYUS, 18TH – 19TH CENTURY China. Distemper and gold on cloth. Seated in dhyanasana on a lotus dais, hands resting in dhyana mudra holding a water vessel sprouting foliage. Wearing a five-panel tiara, pendent jewelry, and a shawl and dhoti with fine detailing, flanked by a blue mandorla and surrounded by six identical manifestations of Amitayus. Provenance: East & Beyond Ltd., McLean, Virginia, USA. From an old private collection in Virginia, USA, acquired from the above. The frame with an old label from East & Beyond. East & Beyond was a three-floor gallery located fifteen minutes from downtown Washington, D.C., started by Mary and Joe Arnold immediately upon Joe's retirement from the Army in April 1994, after living in Japan for four years. The gallery specialized in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean antiques including furniture, which Joe Arnold restored himself, as well as textiles, porcelain, and works of art. Condition: Good condition with minor wear, light fading, minor creasing, and small losses. Dimensions: Image size cm 40 x 28.5 cm, Size incl. frame 61 x 47 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related thangka of Amitayus in the Yale University Art Gallery, accession number 1960.32.5, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 58861. Compare a related thangka of Amitayus in the famed Yonghegong collection, see Qi, Beautiful Thangka Paintings in Yonghegong, Vol. 1, Beijing, 2001, p. 41.