A CARVED WOODBLOCK FOR PRINTING THE MONGOLIAN KANJUR QING, CIRCA 1720A CARVED WOODBLOCK FOR PRINTING THE MONGOLIAN KANJURQING, CIRCA 1720 With identifying Mongolian and Manchu inscriptions flanking each deity, and a Chinese inscription on the left, reading, '秘密經第二十三卷下一 (mimijing di ershisan juan xiayi)', translated, 'tantra volume 23, second part, no.1.' Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4721 17 x 59 cm (7 3/4 x 23 1/4 in.) 清 約1720年 蒙文《甘珠爾》雕版印經板The Mongolian Kanjur is a canonical text of teachings attributed to Buddha Shakyamuni. This exquisitely carved woodblock is likely from an imperial set commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661-1722), completed around 1720. The entire set consists of 40,952 woodblocks, nearly half of which are preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing. Six others appeared in the Paris art market in 2011 (Sotheby's, Paris, 15 December 2011, lot 104), one of which, dedicated to 'tantra volume 3', compares closely with the current lot in style and composition. The present work features reverse images of five tantric deities, consisting of the semi-wrathful Shiva holding a trident and a bowl of wish-fulling gems (cintamani), a two-armed Mahakala brandishing a sword, a second Mahakala holding a visvavajra and a ghanta, and dual images of Palden Lhamo riding her mule through a sea of blood. Each deity is set against a busy background of flames or clouds, framed within a stylized torana. The complex arrangement is achieved with thin and fluid lines, demonstrating the carver's virtuosity fit for the imperial patron.