TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

The present painting depicts the Indian monk and tantric master Abhayakaragupta, and is part of a larger set of paintings depicting the previous incarnations of the Panchen Lamas following the tradition established at Tashi Lhunpo monastery by the seventeenth-century artist, Choying Gyatso. The artists of Narthang monastery created a set of woodblock prints that were heavily influenced by the original composition set, and as such, several groups of Panchen Lama lineage paintings were produced in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. While the compositions followed the woodblock prints (and as such were all very closely related), stylistic details and painting quality varies based on the date or skill of the individual artist, and the present work is an exceptional example, with obvious influences of Chinese painting styles.
The present painting, with Abhayakaragupta at center right, is considered to be the fourth painting in the lineage set of the Panchen Lamas. He is preceded only by Subhuti, the immediate student of the Buddha Shakyamuni; the early Shambhala king, Yashas; and the sixth-century Indian monk, Bhavaviveka. Abhayakaragupta was himself an eleventh-twelfth century Indian monk and the abbot of Vikramashila, the famous Vajrayana Buddhist monastery in present day Bihar. He is considered to be the final Indian historical figure in the line of the Panchen Lamas, with his spiritual successor being the Tibetan Go Lotsawa Khugpa Lhatse. The present painting, as typical of the Narthang compositions, depicts him in Indian garb wearing a Pandita hat, with a massive serpent coiled behind his head; at top left, Vajrayogini holds a skull cup aloft, while at top right, the siddha Ratnasambhava sits with skull cup raised to his face. In the bottom right, Mahakala Panjarnata stands on a prone figure amidst a sea of flames.