Page 274 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Tantra Buddhost Art

The meticulous detailing and precision of the rare and present
thangka depicting Yama Dharmaraja reflects the spectacular
skill of the artists and ateliers associated with the Qing
Imperial court.

Yama Dharmaraja, protector of the Vajrabhairava cycle
of Tantras, strides in fierce alidhasana within a fiery halo,
surrounded by a terrifying retinue in the upper and lower
registers. The lotus platform upon which Yama Dharmaraja
stands rests upon a triangular agni-kunda or brazier filled with
roiling blood. The agni-kunda is associated with Vajrabhairava,
and represents the “clear light” or essence of all phenomena,
wherein all objects put into the sacred fire burn with the
same flame and are reduced to the same remains. Yama
Dharmaraja arises from this clear light.

Directly above the central deity is Vajrabhairava, the wrathful fig. 1
manifestation of the bodhisattva Manjushri. who assumes a Thangka depicting Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi,
variety of terrifying forms to subdue Yama, the personification Qing dynasty, 18th Century
of death and a spiritual metaphor for perpetuating samsara, or Sotheby’s New York, 16th September 2015, lot 405
cyclical existence. Four further aspects of Yama Dharmaraja 圖一
surround the central deity in the upper and lower registers, the 清十八世紀 刺繡勝樂金剛與金剛亥母唐卡
colors of which correspond to four of the five Buddha Families: 紐約蘇富比2015年9月16日，編號405
the red avatar of Magnetising Activity and the blue-black
avatar of Wrathful Activity presiding in the upper register; and 閻魔法王唐卡，富麗莊嚴，精繪嚴謹，展現畫師之絕巧高
the yellow avatar of Increasing Activity and the white avatar of 技，應出自清代宮廷畫院。
Peaceful Activity presiding in the lower register.
主尊身後藍天開闊，祥雲相綴，對比群山峻嶺，崢嶸重重，
The open sky behind the central deities and the expanse of 屬十七至十八世紀間之漢藏繪畫風格。清宮舊藏一件大黑天
rolling clouds above the moody landscape in the lower register 唐卡，構圖近似本品，錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集．
are both indicative of the syncretic Tibeto-Chinese style which 藏傳佛教唐卡》，香港，1995年，卷59，頁171，編號158
developed throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Another ，與此例同顯清廷華貴風格。
large-scale thangka depicting Green Mahakala from the Qing
Court Collection demonstrates a similar composition to the 參考另一件大型清代刺繡勝樂金剛與金剛亥母唐卡，火焰與
present lot; see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the 雲紋近類現例，2015年9月16日售於紐約蘇富比，編號405
Palace Museum: Tangka-Buddhist Painting of Tibet, Hong （圖一）。
Kong, 1995, vol. 59, p. 171, cat. no. 158. Both works exhibit
the primary hallmarks of the elegant and embellished Qing
Court style—the fabulous landscape elements with lush
green mountains, rocky escarpments, meandering streams,
leafy trees and flowering gardens; all unfolding under the
vivid cobalt sky above, filled with rolling clouds in delicate
shades of rose, lavender and cerulean. In both paintings, the
central deities dominate the composition from within their
fiery mandorlas, emanating a fierce crimson halo heightened
with golden curvilinear arcs which extend into the flames. The
whorling golden tongues of flame mirror the whorling clouds
and golden tips of the lotus petals; whilst six deities fill the
heavenly upper and earthly lower registers of the paintings.

Compare the characteristic treatment of the flames and
clouds of the present lot to another Qing masterwork of
monumental proportion, a finely embroidered thangka
depicting Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi sold in our New
York rooms, 16th September 2015, lot 405 (fig. 1). Exquisite
detailing in both works extend to the richly patterned
shawls which encircle the heads of the central deities and
flutter behind their legs, echoing the motifs of sumptuously
embroidered Imperial silks. This graceful patterning is further
expressed in both works on the sun disk platforms upon which
the central deities stand.

272 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比