A painting of Loden Chogse

The current example would have been part of a nine painting set depicting Padmasambhava and his eight principle manifestations. As the semi-mythical founder of Buddhism in Tibet, Padmasambhava subsequently became the most important figure in the Nyingma ("ancient") school of Tibetan Buddhism. From the 17th century onwards, hundreds of paintings of him and his manifestations were commissioned for the six "mother monasteries" of the Nyingma tradition.