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Lot Essay
This vibrant thangka depicts Shakyamuni Buddha in a form closely associated with the celebrated Tsan Dan Jo Bo, the miraculous sandalwood image revered as one of Tibet’s most sacred representations of the historical Buddha. Standing majestically at the centre of the composition, Shakyamuni is rendered with a luminous golden complexion and clothed in a heavy dark grey monastic robe draped over richly layered red and orange garments. The artist has paid particular attention to the treatment of the cascading folds, which gather in rhythmic pleats around the ankles and lend a palpable sense of volume and weight to the figure.
The Buddha is presented in a hieratic and highly symmetrical composition, displaying gestures of reassurance and charity that emphasize his role as both protector and teacher. He is attended by his principal disciples and framed by an elaborately appointed altar table laden with ritual implements, offerings, and sacred accoutrements. Flanking the altar are two monk donors accompanied by attendants bearing sutras, a wheel (chakra), torma offerings, and bowls of rice, reinforcing the devotional function of the painting.
The richly layered composition extends beyond the central figure to encompass an architectural vision of the Buddhist cosmos. Behind the Buddha rises a Chinese-style temple structure crowned by niche containing Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, who is shown receiving veneration from monks and lay devotees. In the lower register, a lay worshipper presents a conch shell offering, while celestial goddesses emerge from swirling clouds amidst flowering trees, animating the landscape with divine presence and movement.
Particularly distinctive is the treatment of the natural setting. The trees, with their delicately feathered green foliage, brilliant coloration, and decorative rhythm, are characteristic of paintings associated with the influential artistic tradition of Khazi Lhazo. Their vibrant palette and lyrical handling contribute greatly to the painting's visual appeal and help situate the work within the flourishing Eastern Tibetan painting traditions of the nineteenth century.
Khazi Lhazo, whose name means the “artist of Khazi village,” remains one of the most celebrated and enigmatic painters in Tibetan art history. Believed to have been one of two artist brothers from the Kongpo region, he is traditionally associated with the dissemination of a highly decorative painting style distinguished by brilliant colours, refined landscape details, and complex architectural settings. Having travelled extensively with Tatsag Rinpoche Yeshe Tenpa'i Gonpo (1760-1810) and worked across central and eastern Tibet, his artistic legacy endured long after his lifetime, influencing generations of painters. The present thangka exemplifies this enduring tradition through its sophisticated composition, vibrant palette, and elegant integration of landscape, architecture, and devotional imagery. For other works by the artist see (HAR 7832 and 15645)
The Buddha is presented in a hieratic and highly symmetrical composition, displaying gestures of reassurance and charity that emphasize his role as both protector and teacher. He is attended by his principal disciples and framed by an elaborately appointed altar table laden with ritual implements, offerings, and sacred accoutrements. Flanking the altar are two monk donors accompanied by attendants bearing sutras, a wheel (chakra), torma offerings, and bowls of rice, reinforcing the devotional function of the painting.
The richly layered composition extends beyond the central figure to encompass an architectural vision of the Buddhist cosmos. Behind the Buddha rises a Chinese-style temple structure crowned by niche containing Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, who is shown receiving veneration from monks and lay devotees. In the lower register, a lay worshipper presents a conch shell offering, while celestial goddesses emerge from swirling clouds amidst flowering trees, animating the landscape with divine presence and movement.
Particularly distinctive is the treatment of the natural setting. The trees, with their delicately feathered green foliage, brilliant coloration, and decorative rhythm, are characteristic of paintings associated with the influential artistic tradition of Khazi Lhazo. Their vibrant palette and lyrical handling contribute greatly to the painting's visual appeal and help situate the work within the flourishing Eastern Tibetan painting traditions of the nineteenth century.
Khazi Lhazo, whose name means the “artist of Khazi village,” remains one of the most celebrated and enigmatic painters in Tibetan art history. Believed to have been one of two artist brothers from the Kongpo region, he is traditionally associated with the dissemination of a highly decorative painting style distinguished by brilliant colours, refined landscape details, and complex architectural settings. Having travelled extensively with Tatsag Rinpoche Yeshe Tenpa'i Gonpo (1760-1810) and worked across central and eastern Tibet, his artistic legacy endured long after his lifetime, influencing generations of painters. The present thangka exemplifies this enduring tradition through its sophisticated composition, vibrant palette, and elegant integration of landscape, architecture, and devotional imagery. For other works by the artist see (HAR 7832 and 15645)