Page 42 - Bonhams May 11th 2017 London Thangka Collection

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A RARE SILK THANGKA OF RATNAGNI BUDDHA
Tibet, 18th century
Distemper and gold on silk, the reverse with a Tibetan inscription,
with silk mount, framed and glazed.
80.5 x 55.5 cm (31 3/4 x 21 7/8 in);
With mount: 127 x 76.5 cm (50 x 30 1/8 in).

西藏十八世紀 絹本佛陀像

Referenced 參考: Himalayan Art Resources item no.2198

Provenance 來源: The Jongen-Schleiper Collection of Fine Thangkas

Published and Illustrated: A.Neven, Etudes D’Art Lamaique et de
L’Himalaya, Brussels, 1978, pp.3 and 90, no.71

出版及著錄： A.Neven著，《Etudes D’Art Lamaique et de
L’Himalaya》，布魯塞爾，1978年，頁3及90，編號71

This thangka is exceptional not only because of the quality of its Another tradition, the Khuddhaka Nikaya from the Pali canon of
execution, but also because of the particularly precious nature of the Suttapitaka, recounts 547 jataka tales. In the 316th tale, there is
silk material used and the beauty of the calligraphy on the reverse. The another story of the future Buddha in the form of a hare: the Buddha-
painting would have been part of a set devoted to the previous lives of to-be took the form of a hare that lived in the woods with other
Shakyamuni Buddha. Each painting would have been commissioned animal companions. The hare taught his friends ethics and the law.
by an individual or a family. In this instance, the donor is named Indra, Lord of the Heavenly Beings, came to hear about the hare
Rinchen Ngodrub, who lived in a region of Tibet called Upper Mu. and presented himself as a hungry ascetic to the animal companions
No other paintings from this set appear to have been published. begging for food.

Beneath the central figure of Ratnagni Buddha - one of the Thirty-five The animals had some food to satisfy the beggar but the hare, having
Buddhas of Confession - the scene condenses two avadana tales on the contrary nothing to offer, begged the hermit to light a fire and
narrating the previous lives of the Buddha. It narrates the story when threw himself into it so that the unfortunate could satisfy his hunger.
the Buddha was in the form of a hare and sacrificed himself in a fire to However, when the hare entered the flames, not even his fur was
serve as a meal for a forest hermit. scorched. By the power of Indra, it was as if the hare was entering
fresh ice. The hare was confused. The beggar revealed his true form
In Kshemendra’s version of the 104th Avadana tale (11th century), the as a deity and gently lifted the hare from the fire to the Heavenly
ascetic Suvrata could no longer endure isolation in the forest during Realm. To commemorate the hare’s sacrificial act, the image of the
a persistent drought. He decided to return to the laity. The hare - the hare was drawn onto the surface of the moon for all to see for all time.
future Buddha - volunteered to be thrown into a fire, whereupon a The moon with the hare can be seen on the bottom right corner of the
miraculous rain fell. This episode is evoked by the depiction, in the painting, above the hermit’s cave.
lower right corner, of Suvrata meditating in his hermitage.
In the top centre of the painting is Amitayus. On the top left is Geshe
Potowa (1031-1105), one of the three principal disciples of Dromtonpa
and a patriarch of the Karmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism. On the top
right is the guru Yonton Gragspa (1070-1141).

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