Page 51 - Bonhams May 11th 2017 London Thangka Collection

15 The present lot would have been part of a set of five or seven
A THANGKA OF THREE ARHATS paintings depicting the Sixteen or Eighteen Arhats. The Arhat depicted
Tibet, 19th century in the centre of this painting is Nagasena, grasping a monk’s walking
Distemper on cloth, with silk mount, framed and glazed. staff or khakkhara. He gazes at a treasure vase (kalasha) filled with
63 x 42.5 cm (24 6/8 x 16 3/4 in); jewels held by an attendant. In the top right is the Arhat Gopaka
With mount: 108 x 72 cm (42 1/2 x 28 3/8 in). carrying an Indian-style book. In the top left is the Arhat Abheda,
carrying a stupa. In the foreground are the Guardian Kings of the
西藏十九世紀 那伽犀那尊者像 West and North. Virupaksha of the West with a red face, carries a
serpent, representative of his Naga followers. The Guardian King of
Referenced 參考: Himalayan Art Resources item no.2161 the North, Vaishravana, with yellow face, carries a parasol or chatra
as a symbol of his sovereignty, as well as a mongoose ejecting jewels
Provenance 來源: The Jongen-Schleiper Collection of Fine Thangkas from its mouth. The depictions of the Guardian King’s clothes and
pose, peony-like lotus and the striking blue-and-green landscape
Published and Illustrated: A.Neven, Etudes D’Art Lamaique et de painting, were artistic devices incorporated by Tibetan artists from
L’Himalaya, Brussels, 1978, p.24, no.9 Chinese Arhat and landscape painting since the 15th century. For an
extended discussion on the sharing and overlapping between Tibetan
出版及著錄： A.Neven著，《Etudes D’Art Lamaique et de and Chinese painters and their depiction of Arhats, see R.Linrothe,
L’Himalaya》，布魯塞爾，1978年，頁24，編號9 Paradise and Plumage: Chinese Connections in Tibetan Arhat
Painting, New York, 2004, pp.10-40.