Page 8 - Blum Feinstein Tanka collection HIMALAYAN Art Bonhams March 20 2024

These seven exquisite thangkas (lots 701-707) comprise a unique set commemorating
meditational and guru yoga deities of the Nyingma ‘Revealed Treasure’ Tradition. These include
four forms of Padmasambhava, the Indian master who originally founded the Nyingma school
and is credited with introducing Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. Of esteemed provenance,
in 1940, the Venerable Tiu Kangyur Rinpoche from Kham, Eastern Tibet, presented these
paintings to the parents of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on the occasion of their son’s
Enthronement Ceremony in Lhasa. Years later, in 1995, Richard Blum would acquire this set
from Gyalo Thondup, the brother of H. H. the 14th Dalai Lama.
The inscriptions within the upper register of each painting, giving the names and titles of the
teachers represented, indicate that this set follows a special iconographic program envisioned
from the perspective of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngagwang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-82). According
to legend, Lobzang Gyatso was initiated into Nyingma teachings through dreams that were
transmitted to him by Jangdak Tashi Tobgyel (1550-1603), a lineage holder of the Jangter,
or Northern Treasures tradition. Although the two had never met, Lobzang Gyatso became a
student of Tashi Tobgyel’s son and successor, Rigdzin Ngakgi Wangpo (1580-1639), whose
official biography was later composed by Lobzang Gyatso. When assembled together, this set
pays homage to teachers—both mythical and historical—that the Fifth extolled for developing
the Jangter Nyingma teachings as his most important practice.
Known as ‘the Great Fifth’, Lobzang Gyatso is one of the most important men in Tibetan
history, certainly for the early modern period. With the support of a Mongol army, Lobzang
Gyatso dispossessed his rivals and united Tibet under his rule and the Gelug order. In addition
to being a skilled tactician, the Fifth Dalai Lama was a charismatic diplomat who formed
lucrative alliances with the Mongol Khans and the Qing court. He was also an erudite scholar
who studied under Gelug, Sakya, and Nyingma masters and established numerous institutions
that promoted the arts and sciences. In 1645, Lobzang Gyatso began construction on the
Potala Palace in Lhasa, on the site of Songtsen Gampo’s (c. 569-649) palace, who was the
founder of the Tibetan Empire (618-842) and Tibet’s first ‘Dharma King’. Prior to the Fifth Dalai
Lama’s funding and support, the Nyingma order comprised of a loose group of independent
family lineages with small monasteries and a modest following. Various teachings represented
by the subsidiary figures throughout the set are linked to Mindroling and other Nyingma
monasteries and teaching traditions that the Fifth Dalai Lama helped advance. As such,
these paintings serve as a special commission commemorating the Great Fifth’s personal
appreciation and patronage of the Nyingma tradition, which at times drew him the criticism of
his peers within the Gelug establishment.

The back of each painting is beautifully inscribed with multiples lines of prayers and poetic
verse paying homage to its central subject. The author of these inscriptions, Doktrul Rigdzin
Sangwa Tsal, is mentioned repeatedly, appearing most explicitly behind the set’s central
painting of Padmasambhava. The language makes clear that the inscriptions should be
attributed to Rigdzin Sangwa Tsal, though whether he also represents the set’s painter or
patron, or, perhaps, was an acclaimed scribe contributing to their overall production
remains less clear.
Preserved in excellent condition with original silk mounts, these paintings exemplify some
of the highest quality among 19th century paintings originating in Kham Province of Eastern
Tibet. They are characterized by strong outlines and heavy shading in certain areas to create a
sense of depth within each paradisical landscape. The wrathful deities are infused with brightly
intense coloration, whereas the peaceful deities are treated with softer gradations of white and
pink washes. The solid monochrome aureoles behind the many teachers are also a hallmark
of the Kham-ri painting (c.f. HAR set no. 251, or paintings sold at Bonhams, New York, 14
September 2015, lot 27; and 14 March 2016, lot 39). These are infused throughout the set with
Qing motifs like Chinese peonies and variegated ruyi clouds, while overgrown fruits and flaming
mandorlas borrow favored idioms of the Gelug order.

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