A BLACK-GROUND THANGKA DEPICTING VAJRAKILATibet, 18th-19th century. Ink, distemper, and gold on cloth. Finely painted with the three-faced and six-armed winged deity in blissful union with his consort Diptachakra, stamping over the splayed bodies of Maheshvara and Uma atop a lotus base above jewels and blood-filled skullc, the main hands holding a pointed kila at the heart, the others holding gold vajras, a trident, and flames entwined around the index finger, his consort holding a kapala from which one of his heads drinks, engulfed in flames below ferocious dragons, the upper register with an image of blue Samantabhadra in union with his consort Samantabhadri.Provenance: A noted Hungarian collection.Condition: Good condition with some wear, soiling, small losses. The mounting with some tears to the edges.Dimensions: Image size ca. 73 x 54 cm, Size incl. mounting 123 x 84 cm, Size incl. frame 142 x 100.5 cmWith a silk brocade mounting and framed behind glass. (2)Vajrakila is identified by the phurba (dagger), also known as a kila, held in his main hands. Vajrakila is an important meditational deity in the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, and Kagyu orders of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma tradition, such wrathful deities were referred to as Herukas (blood-drinkers) and embodied a meditational focus, such as body, speech, or mind. Vajrakila represents the activity aspect of the Heruka tradition.Vajrakila is one of the great protectors of Tantric Buddhism. According to the Tibetan hidden texts, terma, the deity emerged in a previous eon during the time of the Buddha's taming of the wrathful Shiva-Rudra, the archdemon of pride and egoism. Shiva was in fact reborn as a powerful demon, in the malignant form of Rudra, as a result of having broken the tantric vows in his previous lifetimes. Unable to peacefully convince Rudra to recognize his erroneous ways, the Buddhas in Akanishta Heaven emanated from themselves a powerful being to destroy him. Another narrative relates Vajrakila to the wisdom manifestation of all Buddhas, emanating from the heart of Vajrasattva to eradicate all ignorance and emotional afflictions preventing the dawning of realization. Vajrakila is particularly esteemed in the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism because of his relation with Padmasambhava, the 'Precious Guru' credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet and transmitting the Varjakila tantric collection of texts in the region.Auction resultparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: London, 9 November 2017, lot 217Price: GBP 37,500 or approx.EUR 51,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A rare black-ground thangka of Vajrakila, Tibet, 17th centuryExpert remark: Note the similar size (71 x 54.5 cm) and the apparently earlier dateAuction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: London, 11 May 2017, lot 45Pr