A black ground thangka of Shabhuja Mahakala

TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

Details

A black ground thangka of Shabhuja Mahakala
Tibet, 18th century
Striding in alidhasana over a prostrate figure of Ganapati, holding a curved knife and skull cup in his principle hands and various implements in the others, dressed in a tiger skin dhoti and adorned with a streaming ribbon, tied serpent, and a garland of severed heads, the bearded face with bared fangs and bulging eyes surmounted by a skull tiara, backed by an aureole of flames, with Avalokiteshvara above flanked by Gelugpa lamas and the five principle attendant deities below
28 5/8 x 19 5/8 in. (72.8 x 49.8 cm.)

Provenance

Private collection, Europe, acquired in London, 23 November 1987

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Lot Essay

Shadbhuja Mahakala, the Swift-Acting Lord of Pristine Awareness with Six Hands, is the wrathful manifestation of Avalokiteshvara in the form of Mahakala, and as such Avalokiteshvara is depicted above the central deity in the present work. Shabhuja Mahakala is the principle protector deity for both the Shangpa Kagyu and Gelugpa schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

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