TIBET, 16TH CENTURY

Details

A thangka of Vajranaraitmya
Tibet, 16th century
Dark blue-skinned Vajranaraitmya at center dancing on a lotus base holding a curved knife and skull cup with a khatvanga in the crook of her arm, backed by a flaming aureole at the center of a lotus blossom and square palace with smaller images of the female deity, all seated atop an enormous lotus blossom surrounded by the eight charnal grounds bordered by a multicolored leafy ring, all surrounded by the lineage teachers starting with Vajradhara and mahasiddhas in the clouds above and continuing below
18 5/8 x 14 5/8 in. (47.8 x 37.2 cm.)

Provenance

Private collection, New York, 1960s

Brought to you by

Hugo Weihe

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

hweihe@christies.com + 1 212 636 2188

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

Nairatmya, a meditational deity in Tantric Buddhism, is best known in relation to Hevajra but she also has meditation mandalas of her own without the male counterpart, as in the present example. In this painting, the mandala of Nairatmya occupies the majority of the composition with the large circle in the middle. Starting at the top center and surrounding the mandala are the lineage teachers of the Lamdre System of Hevajra. Nairatmaya is also well-known as a teacher to the Indian Mahasiddha Virupa and she is second before Virupa in the teaching lineage of the Sakya Lamdre Lineage.

More from Indian & Southeast Asian Art

View All