Footnotes

The result of a carbon-14 analysis by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH-56087; 6 January 2016) is consistent with the dating of this lot.

Provenance:
Hong Kong Art Market, 2014.
Private European Collection since 2015.
Art Loss Register Document 15045.6.CCF

西藏 十二至十三世紀 四臂觀音唐卡

本拍品經蘇黎世聯邦理工學院碳-14檢測（ETH-56087；2016 年 1 月 6 日），結果與其斷代相符。

來源
香港藝術市場，2014年
歐洲私人珍藏，自2015年
Art Loss Register（國際失踪藝術品登記組織）檔案 15045.6.CCF

This refined composition presents white Shadakshari Lokeshvara, a four-armed manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Rendered with delicate precision, Shadakshari Lokeshvara sits with meditative composure on a lotus throne. He holds his primary hands in anjali mudra at heart level as his secondary arms extend outwards, one holding a blooming lotus and the other a string of prayer beads. His gentle gaze, elongated earlobes and serene smile convey an aura of profound wisdom, as does his luminous white complexion, all emblematic of the deity's sanctity. Clad in a diaphanous red dhoti that folds fluidly across his seated form, his body is adorned with an array of elaborate jewellery – a multi-strand necklace draped across his torso, armlets, and gold bracelets worn around wrists and ankles. Pleated black hair falls across both shoulders, the rest gathered in a top knot that echoes the form of a stupa. The crown set along the hairline is decorated with stylised floral motifs and gemstones. Flanking Shadakshari Lokeshvara are two smaller attendant figures, forming a harmonious triptych. To the right is a male attendant, Manidhara, and to the left is another attendant figure of a white four-armed female deity, Shadakshari Mahavidya.

Early Tibetan painting from the 11th to 13th centuries, coinciding with the Second Dissemination of Buddhism, reflects a dynamic confluence of Indian and Nepalese aesthetic idioms. Directly referencing esteemed Pala painting traditions, works like the present thangka exhibit stylistic features that depict central figures with narrow tapered waists, sinuous silhouettes, and sharply defined facial features. The frequent use of a densely patterned blue background filled with minute floral motifs further illustrates this transregional dialogue. A notable parallel is seen in the early 12th-century folio Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara Expounding the Dharma to a Devotee, from an Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita manuscript, attributed to the Mahavihara Master held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2001.445f; see Guy and Britschgi (eds.), Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100–1900, 2011, p. 27, no. 1).

Within this broader context, the present thangka reveals several stylistic traits shared across Tibetan painting of the period. The four-coloured scrolling lotus throne emerges as a recurring motif within the rich visual vocabulary of the period, often accompanying representations of seated figures. A comparable use of this motif can be found in the thangka of eleven-faced, eight-armed Avalokiteshvara (see Rhie and Thurman (eds.), Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, pp. 324-325, cat. no 128). The rainbow-hued halo arching over the head of the central deity is also visible in the thangka of Shakyamuni Buddha, formerly in the Speelman collection, sold at Bonhams, Hong Kong, 5 May 2025, lot 3. Parallels in other contemporaneous works, notably in the Portrait of Taklung Thangpa Chenpo and the Maitreya Buddha thangka (Singer and Kossak (eds.), Sacred Visions, 1998, pp. 91–92, no. 18; ibid., pp. 109–110, no. 24, ), demonstrate similar architectural throne backs and the stylised viridescent energetic swirling motifs that envelop his form. The colourful gem-incrusted border decorates further enhances the thangka's visual opulence.

A distinct Tibetan visual lexicon is articulated across the hierarchical composition of the present thangka. At the feet of the central lotus throne, two worshipping Tibetan monastic figures are depicted on either side. At the bottom register, a Tibetan monk faces an array of ritual implements that evoke devotional practice as well as demarcate the liminal threshold between the mortal and otherworld. Opposite this scene are benevolent protector deities Jambhala, Nagaraja, Hayagriva, and Vajrapani. An eight-armed, eleven-headed seated Avalokiteshvara facing forward with serene compassion is positioned near the rainbow halo of Shadakshari Lokeshvara, and on the opposite end, a Tibetan monk directs his gaze toward the principal deity in reverence. The uppermost celestial register features a Tibetan monk, a trio of transcendent buddhas and two Tibetan lamas.

Thangkas such as this one were often affiliated with specific monastic orders that sought to maintain distinct lineages of descent and transmission. An early 12th century thangka of the Shadakshari Triad from the John and Berthe Ford Collection, (see Woodward and Pal (eds.), Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet, 2002, pp. 228-229, no. 132), evinces a close similarity in stylistic refinement, composition of the central triad, and iconographic details. Another 12th century thangka shows parallels to this painting with its triad of seated Shadakshari Lokeshvara and attendants (Singer and Kossak (eds.), Sacred Visions , 1998, p.74, no. 10). Though lacking inscriptions, these thangkas share a particularly compelling iconographic feature: the presence of a similarly garbed Tibetan lama with a pointed yellow pandita's hat in the topmost register seated next to a lama with curled locks and wearing a white outer robe. Kossak identifies this pairing as Atisha and Dromtön, foundational figures of the Kadam tradition. Jane Casey articulates in many cases, lineages are integrated (see Casey, Taklung Painting: A Study in Chronology, Vol. 1, 2023), and without inscriptions, iconographic features are limiting. Still, this dual pairing suggests lineal affiliations with the Kadam Order.