Page 17 - Bonhams May 11th 2017 London Thangka Collection

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Some are extensive while others are a single short sentence or name. Some 18
inscriptions are simple standard verses of blessing. Some inscriptions such 25
as on the reverse of the Yama Dharmaraja (Cat.no.A; HAR 2158) have
some historical implication with the mention of the hand prints belonging to
the 7th Dalai Lama, Kalzang Gyatso (1708-1757). The donor of the painting
along with the circumstances for its creation and the monastic affiliation are
also mentioned.

There are six paintings in the collection that depict the ‘Field for the
Accumulation of Merit. ‘This form of composition in a single painting
portrays all of the lineage teachers and deities of importance to a particular
religious tradition. All six belong to the Gelug Tradition; however they are in
several different styles in arrangement of the figures. In the Gelug tradition
there are two types and three styles of Refuge Field composition.

The two types of Refuge Field are for the first Gurupuja where the teacher,
in the form of Tsongkapa the founder of the tradition, is depicted at the
centre, the second type is a similar Refuge Field but with a Shakyamuni
Buddha figure at the center instead of Tsongkapa. The three different
styles are the Gurupuja style (Lots 17, 19, 24; HAR 2160, 2188, 2189),
Shakyamuni style (Lot 18; HAR 2220) and ‘Pabongkha Designed’ style
(Lot 25; HAR 2190). The latter is an early 20th century re-configuration by
the famous Gelug teacher named Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo (1878-1941
[TBRC P230]). Refuge Field paintings are always created as individual
compositions and are not known to be painted as sets.

There are different ways to categorise and organise deities. The two
most important distinctions, aside from gender, are form and function.
Within the system of the Eleven Figurative Forms in Himalayan style art
and iconography there are the five types of deities based on general
appearance: (7) Peaceful Appearance (Deva, Bodhisattva), (8) Semi-
peaceful/Semi-wrathful Appearance (Rishi), (9) Wrathful Appearance
(Raksha), (10) Animal Headed/Featured Gods & Deities and (11) Warrior
Appearance (Drala).

A further system of Eleven Types of Deities by Appearance are enumerated
(which include the five above): (1) Peaceful Appearance, (2) Semi-peaceful/
Semi-wrathful Appearance, (3) Wrathful Appearance, (4) Animal Featured
Appearance, (5) Warrior Appearance, (6) Universal Appearance, (7) Layered
Appearance (Deities & Figures), (8) Stacked Appearance, (9) Ithyphallic
Appearance, (10) Androgynous & Gender Reversed Appearance, (11) Weird
Gods & Fantastical Appearance.

THE JONGEN-SCHLEIPER COLLECTION | 15