Page 76 - Bonhams Image of Devotion Hong Kong December 2, 2021

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A BLACKGROUND THANGKA OF THE TWELVE
TANMA CHUNYI GODDESSES
TIBET, CIRCA 18TH CENTURY
Distemper on cloth.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.58537
71 x 50.8 cm (28 x 20 in.)

HKD400,000 - 600,000

西藏 約十八世紀 十二丹瑪久妮女神黑唐卡

Divided into equal sections, this painting depicts twelve goddesses, each set
within their own wondrous landscape. Their surroundings evoke each goddesses’
legendary origins as a personification of a mountain. The twelve Tanma Chunyi
Goddesses are indigenous female protectors who were worshipped in Tibet
before the introduction of Buddhism. According to a 14th-century biography of
Padmasambhava, they were integrated into the Buddhist pantheon during the
8th century. Records of the twelve goddesses appear in numerous ritual texts,
with variations on their names and titles. Their popularity in the Gelugpa tradition,
and for the Tibetan people more broadly, was leveraged by the Fifth Dalai Lama
Lobzang Gyatso (1617-82) as he endeavored to unify Tibet.

The painting’s confident brushwork and shading are of a fine quality. The lines
are precise and fluid, outlining crisp details within diminutive spaces. The vivid
colors fade into the dark background, conveying strong three-dimensionality
and theatricality. Compare with two 18th-century thangkas published in Bazin,
Rituels tibétains, 2002, cat.54&55, pp.112-3. A thangka of Mahakala also with
remarkable usage of gold lines was sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 7 October
2020, lot 114. The composition giving each goddess equal weight is rare. They
are frequently found as retinue figures accompanying Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo
and Tseringma, as in a set of sculptures likely produced under Qing imperial
commission (HAR set no.3784).

Published
Natalie Bazin, Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama, Paris, 2002,
cat.58, p.116.

Exhibited
Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama, Musée Guimet, Paris, 6
November 2002 - 24 February 2003.

Provenance
Private European Collection, acquired in 1989

74 | BONHAMS