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A THANGKA OF AMITAYUS TIBET, 14TH CENTURY image 1
A THANGKA OF AMITAYUS TIBET, 14TH CENTURY image 2
A Private European Collection of Tibetan Thangkas
Lot 3024

A THANGKA OF AMITAYUS
TIBET, 14TH CENTURY

19 March 2018, 15:00 EDT
New York

US$150,000 - US$200,000

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A THANGKA OF AMITAYUS

TIBET, 14TH CENTURY
Distemper on cloth; with later cloth mounts.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.58527
32 1/4 x 26 3/4 in. (82 x 68 cm)

Footnotes

西藏 十四世紀 無量壽佛唐卡

Amitayus is sumptuously adorned with a three-tiered crown, golden armbands, earrings, ankle bracelets, multi-strand bejeweled lotus-bud necklaces, and short, horizontally striped silks. The Buddha of Longevity is seated on his lotus throne, recognizable by his gesture of meditation (dhyana mudra), his crimson red color, and the peacock on the throne's base. The glorious bodhi tree behind the throne references Bodhgaya, where Shakyamuni attained enlightenment. This is further emphasized by the inclusion of Shakyamuni's image above the central figure.

Outstanding for its elaborate decorative schema, this thangka depicts the Tathagatha flanked by a standing bodhisattva on either side and three seated bodhisattvas above each shoulder. Rows of repeated buddhas performing the earth-touching mudra enhance the thangka's religious efficacy. They are dressed in alternating orange and red robes and painted on alternating cerulean blue and olive-green registers.

The alert and engaging figures of red Tara are seated within the throne base. They depict the goddess with strict iconographic fidelity, picturing her as a young teenage girl. The bottom register is protected by three guardians of Amitayus's westerly direction: Varuna riding a crocodile, Vayu riding an antelope, and the celestial guardian king Virupaksha.

Provenance
Sebastiano Barbagallo, London, late 1980s/early 1990s
Private European Collection

Additional information

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