A Rare paubha of the Vasudhara Mandala

NEPAL, 14TH CENTURY

Details

A Rare paubha of the Vasudhara Mandala
Nepal, 14th century
Very finely painted with Vasudhara seated in lalitasana at center on a lotus throne backed with a torana, flanked by red Avalokiteshvara at left and green Vajrapani at right, each bearing a flywhisk, enclosed in two walls with the red space filled with deities making offerings on golden plates or pouring them from bags, elaborate gates at the cardinal points, surrounded in a flaming lotus circle with further deities, bordered with various didactic scenes, the five transcendental Buddhas flanked by Bodhisattvas at top and the seven jewels of Buddhism at bottom, richly detailed all over
39¾ x 33¼ in. (100.9 x 84.4 cm.)

Provenance

Spink and Son, Ltd., London, 1980s.

Lot Essay

As the goddess of abundance, good fortune and fertility, the six-armed Vasudhara is popular in Nepal. From top to bottom, her left arms bear the Prajnaparamita sutra, rice stems and a kalasha; her right arms are in a mudra of salutation, holding a triratna (wish-fulfilling) jewel, and in varada mudra. The present example is rare in that it has no restoration, providing an untouched example of original Nepali painting.

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