A black ground thankga of Maning Mahakala

TIBET, 17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details

A black ground thankga of Maning Mahakala
Tibet, 17th/18th century
Striding in alidhasana on prostrate figures over a low base holding a trident in his right hand and a noose in his left, clad in heavy robes with a sandalwood stick tucked in his belt, the face with bared fangs, bulging eyes, and flaming brows surmounted by a skull tiara, backed by a wall of flames, with Padmasambhava above flanked by a monastic figure and King Trisong Detsen, and two wrathful deities on horseback with a multitude of offerings below
27¼ x 17¼ in. (69.1 x 43.8 cm.)

Provenance

Acquired by present owner from Sotheby's New York, 24 September 1997

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Lot Essay

Maning Mahakala, the Glorious Lord of Pristine Awareness, the Black Eunuch, is the body emanation of Mahakala. In the Nyingma school, Maning Mahakala is the lord of all enlightened and worldly protectors. The liturgy of the Nyingma order proclaims him as the "glorious great emanation of the body of the Great Black One, trustee of the king of the wrathful, executioner of enemies and hindrances, great deity, glorious and blazing, lord of all Dharma protectors."

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