Page 48 - Bonhams May 11th 2017 London Thangka Collection

13
A THANGKA OF SCENES FROM THE PAST LIVES OF
SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA
Tibet, 18th/19th century
Distemper on cloth, with cloth mount, framed and glazed.
87.5 x 55 cm (34 1/2 x 21 5/8 in);
With mount: 142.5 x 80 cm (56 1/8 x 31 1/2 in).
西藏十八/十九世紀 釋迦牟尼佛源流圖
Referenced 參考: Himalayan Art Resources item no.2172
Provenance 來源: The Jongen-Schleiper Collection of Fine Thangkas from the river. Vishaka’s wife, however, falls in love with the crippled
Published and Illustrated: A.Neven, Etudes D’Art Lamaique et de Vishaka survived and returned from exile to become the new King and
L’Himalaya, Brussels, 1978, pp.36-37, no.18
出版及著錄： A.Neven著，《Etudes D’Art Lamaique et de
L’Himalaya》，布魯塞爾，1978年，頁36-37，編號18
Image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art, New York
46 | BONHAMS
This painting depicts Shakyamuni Buddha in the centre, surrounded
by a compact array of scenes from the Bodhisattvavadanakalpata
(sometimes simplified to Avadana) by the 11th century Kashmiri poet
Kshemendra.
Starting from the Buddha’s right, is chapter 33 from the Avadana,
narrating the integrity of Prince Vishaka. According to the story,
the Indian King Ashoka banished his four sons without means or
resources. Three of the princes killed their wives, but Prince Vishaka
fed his wife with his own flesh and blood.
The story continues that the prince also saved a drowning cripple
man and decides to push Prince Vishaka over a cliff. However, Prince
banished his ungrateful wife. In this story, Prince Vishaka represents
Shakyamuni while the wife represents the cousin of Shakyamuni, the
ever-jealous Devadatta.
The next story depicted is chapter 34 from the Avadana: the Nagas
Nanda and Upananda. In this segment, two snakes or nagas called
Nanda and Upanada decided to settle on Mount Kailash on which
was a monastery. The noxious vapours from the nagas however,
caused the monks to complain to Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni then
asked his disciple Maugdalyana to solve the problem. He transformed
into a snake himself and converted the two nagas who were the
reincarnation of two Kings of Krikin, culpable of injustice. The
converted nagas thereupon patronised the monastery.
Following clockwise, Avadana 35 narrates the story of Sudatta. Nanda
and Upanda were talking with Shakyamuni when they were threatened
by King Prasenajit who was angry that tribute had not been paid to
him. Nanda and Upanda made the clouds rain daggers so as to kill
King Prasenajit but Buddha’s disciple Maugdalyana changed the
daggers into flowers and gems. King Prasenajit had also condemned
a rich merchant called Sudatta because he disobeyed his order of
putting out candles after dark to prevent fire. But the King realised his
mistake when he learned that Sudatta was merely studying Buddhism.
In the final story, Sudatta saved a hermit from dying in the forest.
The solid dark-blue sky in the current painting is typical of the Tsangri
style. Compare with a similar thangka in the Tsangri style, depicting
Buddha with Avadna tales, late 18th century, in the Rubin Museum of
Art, New York, illustrated by D.P.Jackson, The Place of Provenance:
Regional Styles in Tibetan Painting, New York, 2012, p.25, fig.2.2.
See also a similar thangka depicting the past lives of Shakyamuni
Buddha, 18th/19th century, which sold in our New York rooms,
14 September 2015, lot 8; another similar thangka, 18th/19th century,
was sold at Sotheby’s London, 14 May 2014, lot 378.