A Thanka of Padmasambhava

TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A Thanka of Padmasambhava
Tibet, 18th Century
Padmasambhava seated within a circular mandorla floating above a mountain landscape and surrounded by five goddesses of longevity, each holding an arrow in translucent aureoles, and centered by Avalokiteshvara within a red mandorla and Amitabha above
24½ x 14¾ in. (62.3 x 37.4 cm.)

Lot Essay

This painting and lots 141-142 reflect the artistic tradition of Situ Panchen Chokyi Jungnay (1700-74) who founded the great Kagyu monastery, Palpung, near Derge in Eastern Tibet. According to M. Rhie and R. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation, 1999, pp. 69-70, the Situ Panchen style is reflected by pale tones of graded color planes in blue and green allowing for a vastness of open space, yet juxtaposed with bright narratives. Note the similar stylized and outlined treatment of the clouds and landscapes in both paintings.

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