A Thangka of Maning Mahakala


Tibet, circa 18th centuryDistemper on cloth; the furious deity clothed in voluminous flowing robes and supporting a flaming lance with pennant in his right hand and a poisoned heart in his left, striding upon two human figures and surrounded by flames, all on a black background; now framed and glazed. 19 1/4in (49cm) height of image exclusive of brocade mount32 1/2in (82.5cm) total height of frame
|Survived in bright colors, this painting depicts Maning Mahakala with vigorous and fine brush strokes. A protector of the Nyingma School, he is also known as the Eunuch Lord or The Glorious Lord of Pristine Awareness. Three of his main attendant deities joined Mahakala at the bottom of the composition, including Rahula on the left, with his lower body in the form of a snake, Raudrantika riding atop a black horse in the middle, and Vajra Sadhu riding a brown goat on the right. The busy scene is further intensified by an altar of bodily offerings and fighting animals among the deities. ProvenanceLeo Van der Veen Collection, Canada, before 1975Thence by descent