Three small paintings of retinue figures

TIBET, 15TH/16TH CENTURY

Details

Three small paintings of retinue figures
Tibet, 15th/16th century
The first depicting Virupaksha, holding a stupa in his raised left hand and a snake in his right, dressed in multicolored robes and adorned with a beaded necklace and various sashes, the face red in color with intense gaze flanked by foliate earrings, surmounted by a headdress with streaming ribbons and backed by a flaming nimbus; the second painting of a king seated on a lotus base with his hands in dharmachakramudra, dressed in foliate patterned robes, the face with downcast expression surmounted by a head cloth, backed by an aureole supporting a pair of makaras and topped by a Garuda; the third depicting Neche, one of the Twleve Yaksha Generals, holding a sword in his right hand and a jewel-spewing mongoose in his left, dressed in a dhoti and adorned with various jewelry, the face with bared fangs and busy brows, the wild hair secured by a tiara, backed by an aureole with flaming border
Opaque pigments and gold on textile
5¼ x 5 in. (13.3 x 12.7 cm.), the largest (3)

Provenance

Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, 1960s

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Lot Essay

These small paintings were originally part of a set of 51 or more, and they depict the retinue figures of the Medicine Buddha. A string would have run through the loops on the back, and the entire set would have been hung in a small temple or chapel.

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