Page 108 - Bonhams IMages of Devotion, Hong Kong Nov 30 2022

1039
A THANGKA OF AN INDIAN SIDDHA
EASTERN TIBET, 18TH CENTURY
Distemper on cloth, with original silk mounts; verso with a Tibetan ‘om,
ah, hum’ incantation behind the central figure and a Tibetan inscription
probably referring to the unidentified subject, “Guru Arya Sanga Siddhi
Hum”.
Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4737
Image: 94 x 58 cm (37 x 22 7/8 in.);
With silks: 183 x 80 cm (72 x 31 1/2 in.)
HKD150,000 - 250,000

藏東 十八世紀 印度成就者唐卡

This large and elegant thangka is rendered in a Kham-dri style of
Eastern Tibet, related to the aesthetic revival inspired by Situ Panchen
(1700–74) and the Karma Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism in the
18th century. Informed by the Chinese landscape tradition, a high
level of refinement is shown in every element: from the deft, light
brushstrokes creating the rocky outcroppings, clouds, and far-away
mountain peaks, to the gradual washes conveying the verdant
ground’s recession in both fore- and background, giving the setting
an ethereal character. The subtle shading of the petals within the lotus
pedestal add a pleasing volume to the flower. Their exact treatment,
and the silhouettes of the cumulus clouds framing the central figure,
are details shared by another Kham-dri painting of White Tara (HAR
997; Jackson, A Place of Provenance, 2012, p. 96, fig. 5.8), though its
more opaque palette and harder outlines would ascribe it a later date
(early 19th century) than the present work.

The unidentified subject of the painting is one of the revered Indian
root gurus of Tibetan Buddhism, which can be discerned by the
blue inner vest worn that is reserved for this class of religious master.
Another painting from the same set was sold at Bonhams, Sydney, 15
November 2018, lot 145.

Provenance
Private California Collection

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