A painting of Shakyamuni Buddha with his Life Scenes

TIBET, 17TH/18TH CENTURY

Details

A painting of Shakyamuni Buddha with his Life Scenes
Tibet, 17th/18th century
Seated in dhyanasana on a lotus base over a lion throne, his hands in bhumisparsamudra, clad in heavy patchwork robes and backed by a nimbus and aureole, flanked by his two students Shariputra and Maudgalyayana holding staffs and water bowls, surrounded by scenes from the life of the Buddha
37 x 28 in. (94 x 71 cm.)

Provenance

Collection of Don José Cangas, Madrid, before 2000

Literature

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 30644

Lot Essay

The Buddha's life story begins at the top right and proceeds in a clockwise manner around the composition to finish at the top left side. The scenes are arranged in registers that are separated by horizontal red bars containing one long line of Tibetan text. This text is divided into a single sentence or a brief phrase that contextualizes the story located immediately above the inscription. The noteworthy life events are depicted as blocks of continuous narrative with repeated figures and iconic elements. Compare with another of the same subject in this sale, lot 267.
A donor figure wearing monastic robes and a red hat is located at the bottom left corner. The donor is likely to belong to the Drugpa Kagyu Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The painting style is common for the southern and southwestern Himalayas - popular with the Drugpa Kagyu Tradition.

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