Page 73 - Indian, Himalaya and Asian Art Bonhams Setp 2015
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A THANGKA OF SYAMATARA PROTECTING FROM A THANGKA OF THE LIFE OF SHAKYAMUNI
THE EIGHT FEARS Eastern Tibet, circa 1856
Eastern Tibet, 19th century Distemper on cloth; with primary Shakyamuni flanked by arhats
Rising from the prayers of a monk kneeling by the water’s edge below, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, surrounded by lively narratives, and
Green Tara sits on an unfurling lotus, under the shade of flowering with Vaishravana and Shri Devi Magzorma in the bottom corners.
trees with an attendant watering the potted plants beside her. Image: 33 1/2 x 20 3/4 in. (85.1 x 52.7 cm);
Image: 30 3/4 x 21 in. (78.1 x 53.4 cm); With silks: 66 x 36 1/2 in. (167.6 x 92.7 cm)
With silks: 52 x 27 3/4 in. (132.1 x 70.5 cm) $4,000 - 6,000
$5,000 - 8,000
西藏東部 約一八五六年 釋迦牟尼佛陀之一生唐卡
西藏東部 十九世紀 綠度母救八難唐卡
Derived from woodblock prints, the thangka couples a Central Tibetan
Counterclockwise from the top left corner, Tara manifests herself composition with an Eastern Tibetan palette and heavy outlined
protecting against the fear of lions, fire, snakes, ghosts, water, false central aureole. Thangkas such as these served as popular souvenirs
imprisonment, bandits & invasion, and elephants. for pilgrims. Accompanied by didactic Nepalese inscriptions, it
depicts key episodes in Shakyamuni’s life. Starting in top right corner
The composition blends elements of the Karma Gardri and New and moving clockwise, among others, we see his birth, childhood,
Menri styles seen in later Eastern Tibetan painting, the asymmetrical renunciation of palace life, enlightenment, and nirvana. The dedicatory
grassy landscapes and tall trees belonging to the former, the darker Nepalese inscription at the bottom dates production to around Nepal
palette, glacial mountaintops, and rainbow ribbons typifying the latter. Samvat 974 (1856).
For thangkas of the same subject that more closely adhere to these
converging styles, see Jackson, The Place of Provenance, New York, Referenced
2012, pp. 95-6, fig 5.7 & 5.8. HAR - himalayanart.org/items/31523
Referenced Provenance
HAR - himalayanart.org/items/31530 Private European Collection, acquired in Hong Kong, 1956
Provenance
Private Northern Californian Estate, acquired before 1970
INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART | 71
