Page 111 - Bonhams Asian & Chinese Art November 2018

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280
A THANGKA OF SHAKYAMUNI AND THE THIRTY-FIVE Mahayana ritual text used by nuns and monks for the purpose of
CONFESSION BUDDHAS confessing and atoning any transgressions against the vinaya and
Tibet, 19th century Bodhisattva vows. In Himalayan and Tibetan art there are at least
Distemper on cloth; set against a verdant landscape, Buddha three different iconographic systems for depicting each individual
Shakyamuni wearing Tibetan monastic attire, seated in padmasana Buddha, with Nagarjuna, Sakya Pandita and Je Tsongkhapa as the
over a cushion of multi-coloured lotus petals above a square throne, principal authors of commentaries and ritual texts, along a number of
flanked by a pair of attendants and surrounded by the Thirty-five others.
Confession Buddhas, with Tsongkhapa and his two favoured students
floating on clouds directly above Shakyamuni’s head, Vajradhara in The present thangka features four of the five distinctive
turn above him, Atisha and two attendants in the top right corner, and characteristics of the Tsongkhapa system: the four Buddhas that
Padmasambhava in his Nyima Oser form at the top left corner edge of hold the hand attributes of a Victory Banner, shirt of armour, sword
the composition; together with a hand-written note, partly in English and Mount Meru in the lap; however it seems to lack the depiction
and partly in Tibetan, illustrating the iconography. of Nageshvara Raja Buddha, blue in the body and white in the head,
87cm (34 1/4in) x 55.5cm (21 3/4in) with a hood of seven snakes, as per the instructions from the texts of
Jowo Atisha.
£800 - 1,200 Tsongkhapa’s system is based on a vision of the Guru rather than a
HK$8,200 - 12,000 textual commentary. Interestingly, lot 279, depicting Tsongkhapa and
CNY7,200 - 11,000
his life scenes, includes the episode in which the revered teacher
Provenance has a vision of the thirty-five confession Buddhas whilst visiting the
The Oliver Robert Coales Collection, acquired by Mr. Coales when monastery at Lhasa.

working and travelling in Eastern Tibet in 1916-17, and thence by The hand-written note is inscribed in English, in the middle cartouche
descent.
‘Shakya Talpa’, in the cartouche directly above central one ‘Je
As explained by Jeff Watt, the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas are Rinpoche’, and ‘Atisha’ to the top right, beside numerous figures
the central object of worship of the Sutra of the Three Heaps, a identified in Tibetan. (Illustrated online)

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. ASIAN ART - PART I | 109