TANGKA REPRÉSENTANT AMITABHA TIBET OCCIDENTAL,... Lot 116

TANGKA REPRÉSENTANT AMITABHA TIBET OCCIDENTAL, XVE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1447 87 x 81 cm (34 1/4 x 31 7/8 in.) Footnotes: A THANGKA OF AMITABHA WEST TIBET, 15TH CENTURY 藏西 十五世紀 無量光佛唐卡 The Five Tathagatas, or Celestial Buddhas, comprise one of the most important groups of esoteric Buddhist deities described in the Yoga Tantras. Illustrated at the center of this painting is Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, who presides over the Lotus family of Buddhas within the Western quadrant of a mandala. He is distinguished from the other Tathagatas by his reddish appearance, the pair of peacocks supporting his throne, and the gesture of meditation he displays while cradling an alms bowl in his hands (dhyana mudra). Unique among iconographic arrangements is the painting's use of bracketed registers to demarcate Buddha-fields. Here, the right half of the painting depicts the Tathagatas Akshobya and Vairocana, while the left half portrays the Medicine Buddha Bhaishajyaguru and the goddess Prajnaparamita in meditation. Located at the lower register is Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, whose name and identity are often used interchangeably with Amitabha's, and a lama wearing a patchwork robe and a pointed red cap. Based on his heavyset appearance, in addition to his right arm extended forward in the earth-witnessing gesture (bhumisparsha mudra), this figure likely represents Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292-1361), who was arguably one of the most influential and eccentric teachers of Jonang monastery in Tsang. Several examples of his unique portraiture are preserved in Tsuglakang Temple, Lhasa, and are published in von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Vol. II, p. 1203, nos. 328C-F. Dolpopa's inclusion into the painting, in addition to Amitabha's protruding ushnisha, slender eyelids, and wide cranium all reflect the style of paintings produced in both Ngari, West Tibet, and the southern central region of Tsang. The practice of applying gold roundels to the forehead and cheeks to the central figure, as well as on the three other Buddhas seated on thrones with scrolling trails of makaras, draw parallels to a West Tibetan Buddha painting published in Pal, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, 2003, p. 151, no. 99. Also compare the checkered banners embellishing the temples behind Amitabha to a painting of Shadbuja Mahakala holding a similar banner in the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (HAR 90544). This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at a reduced rate of 5.5% on the hammer price and the prevailing rate on buyer's premium if the item remains in EU. TVA sur les objets importés à un taux réduit de 5.5% sur le prix d'adjudication et un taux en vigueur sur la prime d'achat dans le cas où l'objet reste dans l'Union Européenne. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com