Page 52 - Bonhams Himalayan, Indian Art march 2015

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A thangka of Ratnasambhava
Tibet, 14th century
Distemper on cloth; the enthroned Tathagata surrounded by two-hundred repeated forms of
Shakyamuni.
Image: 25 1/4 x 17 1/2 in. (64.3 x 44.5 cm)
$120,000 - 150,000

This painting originates from a set of five depicting the Five Wisdom Buddhas of Vajrayana
Buddhism: Vairochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi. Each
embodies Shakyamuni’s purification of one of the five poisons, being Ignorance, Envy,
Pride, Desire, and Greed, respectively. Occupying a central role in Vajrayana Buddhism,
Ratnasambhava is found throughout Tantric Buddhism, most notably in the Anuttarayoga
(Wisdom) tantra.

The treatment of the central figure is exquisite, with confident and fluid lines, such as those
marking the strands of hair across his forehead. He has a slender torso following the tradition
of Pala-style manuscripts brought to Tibet by pilgrims and refugees in the 12th and 13th
centuries. His right hand extends across the knee with the palm facing outward in varada
mudra, the gesture of supreme generosity – Ratnasambhava’s designated mudra.

Crowned and bejeweled, the Tathagata sits within an elaborate structure protected by mythical
beasts. Most prominent are the vyalas, leonine creatures ridden by small boys clad in white,
striding on the backs of elephants. The upper section of the throne is surmounted by a winged
garuda, while makaras emerge from golden scrolls around the green nimbus. As prescribed,
galloping horses protect the throne base, which seats the final two-hundredth Shakyamuni
Buddha. When combined with the four others from this set, the number of repeated
Shakyamunis would total one thousand, enhancing the merit and efficacy of each thangka.

While the four other paintings are unknown in published records, the present thangka
compares to an example of Amoghasiddhi held in a private collection of a similar format
and with a comparable treatment of the primary figure’s hair (www.himalayanart.org/image.
cfm/30651.html). Also compare with another 14th-century thangka of Ratnasambhava in the
Newark Museum of Art (www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/76002.html).

Referenced
HAR – himalayanart.org/image.cfm/77113.html

Published
Wisdom Publications, Wisdom Calendar, August, 1994

Provenance
Private European Collection
Acquired from the Private Collection of Ulrich von Schroeder in the late 1980s/early 90s

50 | BONHAMS