Footnotes

西藏 約十八世紀 十二丹瑪久妮女神黑唐卡

Divided into equal sections, this painting depicts twelve goddesses, each set within their own wondrous landscape. Their surroundings evoke each goddesses' legendary origins as a personification of a mountain. The twelve Tanma Chunyi Goddesses are indigenous female protectors who were worshipped in Tibet before the introduction of Buddhism. According to a 14th-century biography of Padmasambhava, they were integrated into the Buddhist pantheon during the 8th century. Records of the twelve goddesses appear in numerous ritual texts, with variations on their names and titles. Their popularity in the Gelugpa tradition, and for the Tibetan people more broadly, was leveraged by the Fifth Dalai Lama Lobzang Gyatso (1617-82) as he endeavored to unify Tibet.

The painting's confident brushwork and shading are of a fine quality. The lines are precise and fluid, outlining crisp details within diminutive spaces. The vivid colors fade into the dark background, conveying strong three-dimensionality and theatricality. Compare with two 18th-century thangkas published in Bazin, Rituels tibétains, 2002, cat.54&55, pp.112-3. A thangka of Mahakala also with remarkable usage of gold lines was sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 7 October 2020, lot 114. The composition giving each goddess equal weight is rare. They are frequently found as retinue figures accompanying Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo and Tseringma, as in a set of sculptures likely produced under Qing imperial commission (HAR set no.3784).

Published:
Natalie Bazin, Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama, Paris, 2002, cat.58, p.116.

Exhibited:
Rituels tibétains: Visions secrètes du Vème Dalaï Lama, Musée Guimet, Paris, 6 November 2002 - 24 February 2003.

Provenance:
Private European Collection, acquired in 1989