A painted wooden panel of a Mahavairocana Mandala

TIBET, 19TH CENTURY

Details

A painted wooden panel of a Mahavairocana Mandala
Tibet, 19th century
The central deity surrounded by a multitude of figures within a circle further surrounded by concentric squares with additional figures, a gate with the deer and chakra in each cardinal direction, surrounded by a band of various figures and multicolored acanthus leaves, all against a dark blue background, the verso painted with a double-vajra
Opaque pigments and gold on wood
10 1/8 x 10¼ in. (25.6 x 26 cm.)

Provenance

The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired before 1996

Literature

Pratapaditya Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 1997, p. 160 and 319, cat. no. 212

Exhibited

On loan to Art Institute of Chicago since 1996

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Lot Essay

Mandalas are highly detailed and precise circular diagrams that represent the three-dimensional universe and contain all of its elements, animate or inanimate. They can be painted on cloth or wood as in the present or preceding two examples. They can also be found on temple walls or ceilings, created from meticulously poured colored sand, or rendered in metal sculpture. In all cases, mandalas are used for rituals in which the practitioner calls the deity to reside during meditation.

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