TIBETO-CHINESE, 14TH/15TH CENTURY

Details

A Rare Silk Embroidered Thangka of Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi
Tibeto-Chinese, 14th/15th Century
Very finely embroidered in polychrome silk floss with Chakrasamvara depicted in blue in yab-yum with his consort Vajravarahi striding over the two prostrate figures of Bhairava and Kalaratri upon a lotus pedestal, embroidered in shades of blue amidst a verdant mountainous landscape encircled by a fiery aureole; framed
Image: 12 5/8 x 8 3/8 in. (32 x 21.2 cm.)

Lot Essay

The present example is in a remarkable state of preservation, with only light fading, and of superb workmanship. The linear treatment of the fluttering scarf, executed with exceptional finesse and attention to detail, is closely related to Central Asian prototypes; cf. an embroidery of a celestial musician at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a corresponding example of an offering figure, in the Chris Hall Collection, in A. Wardwell and J. Watt, When Silk was Gold, 1997, cat. no. 61, p. 60ff. and fig. 85. Compare also with lot 135 for a further discussion of the iconography.

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