Page 100 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

A Hindu revival during the late Malla period (1482-1769) saw Buddhist monasteries and
temples in Nepal receiving comparatively less royal patronage. Consequently, this paubha
is one of a very small group of important Buddhist paintings from the 16th century
surviving in excellent condition.

At the center of its sophisticated composition, Vairocana is enclosed within the womb
of a magnificent white stupa. Characteristically Nepali, the stupa features the all-seeing
eyes of the Adi-Buddha on the harmika – the square structure connecting the dome and
the multi-storied tower on top. Adi-Buddha is a supreme being, highly regarded among
Newari Buddhists as the primordial Buddha, whose emanations include all others. The
bright white of the central stupa contrasts with the dark indigo background, filled with
myriad miniature stupas, symbolizing the dedication of a hundred thousand chaityas by
the donor.

Within the uppermost register, six Buddhas each sit within a niche, with Vajradhara,
Ratnasambhava, and Akshobhya on the left, and Vairocana, Amitabha, and
Amoghasiddhi on the right. Immediately below in the dark blue vertical register are
the seven historical Buddhas, including Vipashyin, Shikhin, Vishvabhu, Kakusandha,
Kanakamuni, Kashyapa, and Shakyamuni.

The remaining scenes within the vertical and inner horizontal registers likely depict
episodes from the Shrngabheri Avadana, a Buddhist text on the relationship between
spouses and the importance of stupa worship. A two-armed Mahakala stands at the
center of the lower register with the donor figures to his immediate left, and a Vajracharya
priest performing a fire ritual to his right.

Despite following the basic conventions appropriate to the subject matter, creativity
abounds throughout the painting. Several different compositional devices have been
employed among surviving lakshachaitya paintings: some fill most of the background
with rows of continuous miniature stupas running all the way to the edges, as seen in a
slightly later painting in the National Museum of India, published in Kramrisch, The Art of
Nepal, New York, 1964, p.111, no.93. Others integrate chaityas with compartments of
subordinate deities, such as the 15th-century Ushnishavijaya painting in the collection of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see Pal, Nepal: Where the Gods are Young, New York,
1975, p.65, no.47). The present painting distinguishes itself by enclosing tightly arranged
miniature stupas within registers of meticulously illustrated narrative panels, very likely the
cleverest and most appealing structure of all.

Published
Museum Angewandte Kunst, Buddha: 108 Encounters, Frankfurt, 2015, pp.264-5,
no.81.
Meinrad Maria Grewenig & Eberhard Rist (eds), Buddha - 2000 Years of Buddhist Art.
232 Masterpieces, Völklingen, 2016, pp.340-1, no.143.

Exhibited
Buddha: 108 Encounters, Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany, 26 February
– 7 June 2015.
Buddha - 2000 Years of Buddhist Art. 232 Masterpieces, Völklinger Hütte, Völklinger,
Germany, 25 June 2016 - 5 March 2017.

Provenance
Private European Collection
Rossi & Rossi Ltd, London
David Teplitzky, Tel Aviv and London
Mirabilia Mundi Ltd, Hong Kong, 2015
Collection of a Private European Family

98 | BONHAMS