A THANGKA OF PADMASAMBHAVA IN HIS PURE LAND


TIBET, 18TH CENTURYDistemper on cloth; with original silk veil and mounts. Recto with gold Tibetan inscriptions identifying figures and places; verso with red Tibetan 'om, ah, hum' invocations at the center.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.61954 Image: 24 1/2 x 17 1/4 in. (62.2 x 43.8 cm);With silks: 50 x 29 in. (127 x 73.5 cm)
|西藏 十八世紀 蓮花生大士居淨土唐卡 Packed with fine detail, this composition depicts Padmasambhava in his palace atop the Copper Colored Mountain. Padmasambhava has resided in this Pure Land paradise since leaving Tibet. He is accompanied by his two consorts, and worshipped by numerous lamas and kings lucky enough to have been reborn there. Above the four-storied golden palace, celestial gods and goddesses dance and play music. The top register is centered by Brahma in his own palace, flanked by Palchen Nga Gyal and Longchenpa on either side. In the prominent orange mountain caves below, yogis seclude themselves for their tantric practice. On the other side of the water in the foreground, tigers, snakes, demons, and cannibals engage in gruesome activities, forming a stark contrast with Padmasambhava's paradise. This was a popular subject in 18th- and 19th-century Tibet. A similar composition is published in Rhie & Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1991, pp.362-3, no.149. Provenance Private New Jersey Collection before 1969