A RARE PAINTING OF DAMARUPATIBET, 18TH CENTURY333⁄8 x 245⁄8 in. (84.8 x 62.5 cm.)Details333⁄8 x 245⁄8 in. (84.8 x 62.5 cm.)ProvenanceThe John C. and Susan L. Huntington Collection, Columbus, Ohio, late 1960s.Literature‌Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24799.Damarupa is one of the Eighty-four great adepts of India (mahasiddha), and he is named for his habit of carrying a double-sided hand drum (damaru)wherever he went, and is said to have visited the twenty-four sacred tantric power places and the thirty-four sacred grounds. Damarupa is reputed to have converted a non-Buddhist king to the religion, thus providing peace and stopping the sacrifice of animals in the kingdom. Based on the retinue figures, the current painting was likely commissioned by teachers belonging to the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. The upper register of the painting depicts the lineage teachers and a standing Amitayus. The figure seated at the left of the painting holding a vajra and initiation vase likely depicts the donor of the painting. The lower register depicts The Three Great Red Ones (mar chen kor sum): Kurukulla, Ganapati, and Takkiraja, belonging to a larger set known as The Thirteen Golden Dharmas of Sakya. Lengthy mantras in U-chenscript and a possible dedication inscription in U-me script are included on the reverse of the painting. ---