Lot 80H
Southeast Asian, Sino-Tibetan, ca. early 20th century CE. The Tibetan word THANG KA literally translates as 'recorded message'. Indeed thangkas have traditionally been created to communicate a message to the Buddhist practitioner, serving as an aid to teaching and as an aid to meditation through the visualization of the deity. It is a medium through which Buddhist philosophy can be explained. Originally lamas and monks used scroll paintings to instruct the Buddhist Dharma (teachings). These paintings were easily transported and unrolled which was ideal for this primarily nomadic population. On a more spiritual level, Thangka paintings are the visual expression of the fully awakened state of enlightenment, this being the ultimate goal of the Buddhist spiritual path. It is for this reason that a thangka is sometimes called 'the roadmap to enlightenment'. This example features a painting of the life of Buddha. It is incredibly rich for its extensive iconography, large scale, striking use of color, and fine painting. The artist depicted various scenes from the life of Gautama Siddhartha set amidst a sacred mountainous landscape including a depiction of his mother Maya Devi's surreal conception of her child located at upper left of the composition. According to the documents written down more than two hundred years after Buddha's death, his mother, Maya Devi, an Indian queen, one day dreamed that she would become pregnant from a white elephant touching her right side with its trunk. Notice the artist depicted Maya Devi asleep and dreaming with an elephant in a "dream bubble". In Indian mythology elephants are seen as strong and fertile beings. According to the legend, Queen Maya was pregnant for 10 months. When she was aware that her time was near, she followed an old custom and went on a journey to her parents' home in Nepal. However before reaching her parents' home, she gave birth to her son in a garden in Lumbini, in today's Nepal. Queen Maya grabbed the branch of a tree and Buddha was born by coming out of her right side, the way he was conceived. Queen Maya Devi died seven days later. The depiction of Buddha's rather bizarre birth in the garden is delineated on the upper left of the composition as well, just beneath the sleeping Maya Devi. Another scene of the life of Buddha is painted beneath the central seated Buddha. Here we see Buddha in death achieving Nirvana, lying on his right side. At the age of roughly 80 years the historical Buddha passed away. As he had reached the state of enlightenment, he passed into nirvana. For Buddhists nirvana is the final bliss, the end of the cycle of rebirths and the end of all suffering. We can go on and on as this thangka is remarkably rich in iconography. There are so many scenes from the life of Buddha that this artist described! Beyond this extensive iconography, is the striking stylistic aesthetic and expert technique that the work displays. Custom frame and double mat. Painting itself measures 18-1/2" x 24-1/2"(28-1/2" x 34-1/2" framed).
Provenance: Ex-private Burns Collection, Longmont, CO, acquired in the 1950s-1960s. Mr. Burns was an accomplished mountaineer who scaled many of the highest peaks across the globe.
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#102073
- Condition: Excellent overall.
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