A thangka of Shakyamuni


Tibet, circa 1850Distemper on cloth, 61cm (24in) wide x 41cm (16in) long.
|西藏 約1850年 彩繪釋迦牟尼佛唐卡Provenance: a European private collection來源： 歐洲私人收藏Published and illustrated: E.Lo Bue, Tibet, Dimora Degli Dei, Milano, 1991, p.35, no.5 and E.Lo Bue, Immagini di Fede nel Mondo Tibetano e Himalayano, Firenze, p.25, no.3.The central figure wearing a ruyi shawl over loose patchwork robes, adorned with elaborate jewellery and a foliate tiara, his right hand in bhumisparsha mudra, seated on a lotus throne with posts entwined by clambering dragons, flanked on the lower register by a further image of Buddha Shakyamuni to his right and Ekamatrka Shi Devi, or Lokesh Chandra, to the left. On the upper register Amitayus is flanked by Ushnîshavijayâ and Sita Tara, to the right and left. The Newari inscription at the back, reads 'Homage to Shakyamuni: the holy date of the Newar year 879, on the 6th day of the month of Vaishakha (corresponding to April-May 1850), when the eldest brother Shri Jiva Narasimha died in Lhasa, Tibet, this image of Shri Shri Shri Buddha Shakyamuni was dedicated accordingly in his name with full devotion by his brothers, namely Shr Birkusa and Shiva Narasimha. Wishing all the family the best blessings in life'. According to a study by the Newar scholar, Gautama Vajracharya, presented at the conference titled Himalayas. An Aesthetic Adventure, held in Chicago on 6th April 2003, the present thangka was likely painted in Lhasa.