A THANGKA DEPICTING VAJRABHAIRAVA AND VAJRAVETALI, TIBET, 18TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A THANGKA DEPICTING VAJRABHAIRAVA AND VAJRAVETALI, TIBET, 18TH CENTURY Distemper and gold on cloth. Finely painted with Vajrabhairava at the center, embracing his consort Vajravetali and standing in alidhasana upon prostrate figures and animals over a multicolored lotus pedestal. The massive blue-black deity with nine heads, thirty-four arms, and sixteen legs, his principal buffalo head with bulging eyes, flaring nostrils, and a gaping mouth revealing sharp fangs, surmounted by successive wrathful heads and the serene head of Manjushri. His numerous radiating hands hold an array of tantric implements and attributes, and he is richly adorned with bone jewelry and a garland of severed heads, the entire group enveloped by a vast aureole of swirling flames. Vajrabhairava is surrounded by Shadbhuja Mahakala at the upper left, Begtse Chen at the upper right, a further wrathful deity at the right, and Vaishravana at the left. The upper register with Akshobhya, Amitayus, and Bhaishajyaguru seated on lotus thrones within halos and cloud formations. The lower register is occupied by Palden Lhamo riding her mule, Yama Dharmaraja on a bull amid flames, and Drala mounted on a white horse. The deities are set within a mountainous landscape with billowing clouds, rocky peaks, and scattered offerings, all rendered in vivid mineral pigments and meticulously detailed with gold. Dimensions: Image size 55 x 38.5 cm, Size incl. mounting 100 x 57 cm Mounted as a hanging scroll. The Vajrabhairava form of Yamataka, the Conqueror of Yama, the God of Death, embraces his consort, surrounded by a halo of flames. Vajrabhairava is a yidam, a deity that presides over the great tantras of the highest yoga in Tibetan Buddhism. A guardian and destroyer of death, he is represented here with thirty-four arms brandishing an array of weapons, while his sixteen legs trample birds, dogs, and Hindu gods including the elephant-headed Ganesha. He embraces his consort Vajravetali, an animated corpse, in a yab-yum sexual embrace that alludes to a dualistic totality encompassing compassion and wisdom. Vajrabhairava is the wrathful form of Manjushri and a revered meditational deity in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, the dominant religious power in Tibet in the seventeenth century. Vajrabhairava also became a prominent Buddhist icon in China under the Qing emperors, who maintained direct links with the dignitaries of the Gelugpa sect, including the Dalai and Panchen Lamas. He is worshiped for frightening away egotism and selfishness—the root of suffering—and in this true form reveals the awesome and terrifying nature of enlightenment. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related thangka depicting the same subject, dated to the 19th century, 61 x 40.6 cm, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B72D58. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 30 October 2023, lot 204 Price: GBP 14,080 or approx. EUR 18,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, manner of painting, and similar rendition. Note the size (66 x 43 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 6 October 2023, lot 44 Price: HKD 108,800 or approx. EUR 12,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and manner of painting. Note the size (62.2 x 46.5 cm).

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