A PAINTED WOOD DOOR FROM A PROTECTOR CHAPEL (GONKHANG), TIBET, 19TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A PAINTED WOOD DOOR FROM A PROTECTOR CHAPEL (GONKHANG), TIBET, 19TH CENTURY Crafted from several vertically arranged wooden boards joined by two horizontal braces, the exterior covered with cloth boldly painted in vivid red and green pigments to depict an inverted and flayed human body, its legs hanging alongside the torso and its arms intertwined in a serpentine manner, extending toward a grimacing, deeply wrinkled face framed by long hair. Both sides painted at alternating heights with simulated iron mounts. Dimensions: Height 137.3 cm, Length 74.7 cm Most Tibetan Buddhist monasteries include a temple or chapel dedicated to wrathful protector deities. Known as Gonkhang, such spaces often have doors adorned with fearsome imagery, including ferocious spirits, flayed human bodies, and substances conventionally regarded as impure. Such imagery marks the threshold as a ritually charged and protected boundary, signaling the formidable power of the deities within while serving to repel harmful or obstructive forces. Gonkhangs are used for rituals and offerings addressed to protectors of the Buddhist teachings and lineages, as well as to local deities believed to have been converted and bound by oath to defend Buddhism. A closely related example may be seen in situ at Tangyud Monastery in Komic, Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India, where the Gonkhang is decorated with the representation of an inverted flayed human body, closely paralleling the imagery found in the present lot. Literature comparison: Compare a related painted wood wrathful shrine door, Tibet, Kham Region, dated ca. 19th century, 215.3 cm high, in the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, object number C2014.3a-h. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Paris, 16 December 2022, lot 586 Price: EUR 3,825 or approx. EUR 4,300 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related form and polychrome decoration. Note the similar size (130.4 x 58.4 cm), different subject, and that this door was also previously in the Triay Collection.

图片