Page 48 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

3024
A THANGKA OF AMITAYUS
TIBET, 14TH CENTURY
Distemper on cloth; with later cloth mounts.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.58527
32 1/4 x 26 3/4 in. (82 x 68 cm)

$150,000 - 200,000
西藏 十四世紀 無量壽佛唐卡

Amitayus is sumptuously adorned with a three-tiered crown, golden armbands, earrings,
ankle bracelets, multi-strand bejeweled lotus-bud necklaces, and short, horizontally
striped silks. The Buddha of Longevity is seated on his lotus throne, recognizable by his
gesture of meditation (dhyana mudra), his crimson red color, and the peacock on the
throne’s base. The glorious bodhi tree behind the throne references Bodhgaya, where
Shakyamuni attained enlightenment. This is further emphasized by the inclusion of
Shakyamuni’s image above the central figure.

Outstanding for its elaborate decorative schema, this thangka depicts the Tathagatha
flanked by a standing bodhisattva on either side and three seated bodhisattvas above
each shoulder. Rows of repeated buddhas performing the earth-touching mudra enhance
the thangka’s religious efficacy. They are dressed in alternating orange and red robes and
painted on alternating cerulean blue and olive-green registers.

The alert and engaging figures of red Tara are seated within the throne base. They depict
the goddess with strict iconographic fidelity, picturing her as a young teenage girl. The
bottom register is protected by three guardians of Amitayus’s westerly direction: Varuna
riding a crocodile, Vayu riding an antelope, and the celestial guardian king Virupaksha.

Provenance
Sebastiano Barbagallo, London, late 1980s/early 1990s
Private European Collection

46 | BONHAMS