Page 140 - Christie's, materpieces of Buddhist Art December 2, 2015 HK

Exceptionally large and commanding, these two paintings
gracefully depict the earthly and celestial worlds of the
Buddha in a symmetrical and serene composition. Both
paintings are likely from a set that depicts the Thousand
Buddhas of the Eon, or the Thousand Buddhas from the
Auspicious Era known as the bhadrakalpa, the current era in
which a thousand Buddhas appear, including Shakyamuni.
Each painting depicts a figure of Buddha at center, possibly
one of the Eight Medicine Buddha brothers, with his right
hand in the gesture of generosity. In both paintings he is
surrounded by forty seated Buddhas backed by halos that
are based on the appearance of the five Dhyani Buddhas of
the Anuttarayoga Tantra: Vairochana, Akshobhya, Amitabha,
Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi. The different skin
colors correlate to each of the cardinal directions and the
five essential wisdoms – meditation, reflection, observation, in the present example are backed by indigo skies, stylised
equality, and practice - that each Buddha embodies. They are
“self-born,” having existed since the beginning of time.
The iconography and ritual practice of the Medicine Buddha
derive from the Bhaishajyaguru Sutra, believed to have been
taught by Shakyamuni Buddha himself. The Buddha is said
to have transformed himself into a deep blue form radiating
healing rays of light, spreading the knowledge of medicine in clean detail. The figures of Buddha demonstrate the same
order to prolong life and thus empower the human ability to
strive for enlightenment. The worship of the Eight Medicine
Buddhas, of which Shakyamuni is one, is a longstanding
tradition in Tibetan medicine and Buddhist practice. Each
with unique healing powers, they are typically depicted
seated, holding a bowl in his left hand and his right hand in throne, and the elegant foliage twisting organically about
varadamudra, and flanked by two Bodhisattva attendants.
While this painting displays duplicate images of the Buddha
surrounding the central Buddha, it does not have the
same intention of a repeated figural composition, which is
commonly found after the 17th century. For a slightly later
painting that employs images of Dhyani Buddha in a repeated
arrangement, see the painting in the National Gallery in
Prague (Himalayan Art Resource, item no. 57601). The
repetition of such auspicious images was intended to multiply The subject of the Medicine Buddha and his retinue is here
the merit and the ability to overcome obstacles, emphasizing
the use of these images as tools for ritual practice. While
the secondary figures of Buddha in the present painting are
138 Masterpieces of Buddhist Art 大俱足 — 經典亞洲佛教藝術
stylistically and iconographically comparable to those in the
Prague example, the composition instead emphasizes the
qualities of the heavenly realm through the landscape and
celestial features. The dynamic scenery provides a visual
diagram of the Buddha’s heavenly abode, enabling the viewer
to fully contemplate the power of the Medicine Buddha and
the transmutative powers of the five Dhyani Buddhas.
Stylistically, the paintings are reminiscent of other 18th century
New Menri-style thangkas that also demonstrate the influence
of a Chinese aesthetic. The New Menri style, which emerged
in Tibet in the late seventeenth century, was an expansion
upon the original Menri style of open composition and rich
detail, bringing a baroque sensibility to paintings through
ornate compositions and a rich palette. The central Buddhas
clouds and deep green mountains. For a related example
demonstrating a similar stylistic treatment of the figures
and the landscape all rendered in a vivid palette, refer to the
painting of Shakyamuni Buddha from the Palace Museum
(Yang, Xin, Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in
the Qing Palace, 1998, pp. 56-57, fig. 14). The body, garments,
and nimbuses are similarly realized with linear contours and
slender proportions and delicately delineated facial features
beneath a heart-shaped hairline, backed by a nimbus with
wavy gold lines. The rich blue-green Chinese-style landscape
frames the figures in a dense arrangement of clouds and
mountains. The stylistic treatment of the lotus base, the lion
the halo are all reminiscent of certain contemporaneous
paintings of Eastern Tibet, such as those of the Medicine
Buddha in the Shechen Archives (Himalayan Art Resource,
item no. 15414-5). While the landscapes in the Shechen
paintings are closer to the open horizons common to the
Karma Gadri style than to the compact interplay forms of the
New Menri, they offer a similar interpretation of the Medicine
Buddha with his retinue, depicting the five Dhyani Buddhas
above and two bodhisattvas flanking the central figure.
rendered in a harmonious yet rich composition, suggesting
both a practice and style common to Tibet of the eighteenth
century.