A black ground thangka of Rahula

TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A black ground thangka of Rahula
Tibet, 18th century
Depicted with his lower body in the form of a serpent rising from a blood-filled enclosure, holding a staff and noose in his hands, his upper body covered in open eyes with a large face on the stomach, the other wrathful faces with open mouths and flaming brows arranged in three tiers of three and surmounted by a raven's head, backed by a rising plume of flames and surrounded by animal-headed attendant figures
19 3/8 x 12¾ in. (49.2 x 32.4 cm.)

Provenance

Private collection, Europe, acquired in Paris, 14 March 1989

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Lot Essay

The present work depicts the deity Rahula, one of the "Three Treasure Protectors" of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism. The deity is associated with the Indian god, Rahula, the personification of an eclipse of the sun, moon, or planets. In the Nyingma school, Rahula is a terrifying deity, and worshippers must take caution when they are performing rituals to him, as a misstep is thought to cause strokes. His principle face is found on his belly - the nine arranged in tiers above are the faces of the nine planets he has devoured.

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