Page 160 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLORADO COLLECTOR
385
A PAINTING OF SHAMBHALA
TIBET, 19TH CENTURY
Image 36¬ x 22Ω in. (93.0 x 57.9 cm.)

$12,000-18,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired from Stuart Perrin, New York,
8 April 1988.

The hidden kingdom of Shambhala, believed to be
north of the Tibetan plateau is depicted here with
circular geography, surrounded by an impenetrable
mass of mountains. The mystical land is ruled by
an emanation of the bodhisattva of wisdom, the
Glorious One with a Melodious Voice (Manjushri).
A temple within the royal precinct of Kalapa
protects the Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) mandala,
the source of Tibetan Buddhist teachings wherein
time here is employed as a metaphor symbolizing
the process of transformation from a mundane
existence towards Buddhahood.

The landscape, replete with domiciles, gardens,
and pathways, is protected by a dome of wisdom
fre and the Shambhala kings depicted here. A
worldly progenitor of this Pureland teaching, a
Jonang lama, foats at top center. The bright blues
and greens, and the tiny vegetation scattered
across the mountains on the bottom register are
executed in a style consistent with a nineteenth-
century date.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24523.

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