TIBET, 19TH CENTURY

Details

Thangka of Vajrasattva and Consort
Tibet, 19th Century
The Tathagata seated in yab-yum with his consort Vajradhatu-ishvari over a lotus base, each wearing foliate tiaras, jewelry and festoons, surrounded by a rainbow mandorla and green nimbus, all against a verdant background with blue skies, lotuses and clouds
47½ x 37 in. (120.5 x 94 cm.)

Exhibited

New York, Museum of Sex, Sex Among the Lotus: 2500 Years of Chinese Erotic Obsession, March 2005-January 2006.

Lot Essay

This form of Vajrasattva with his consort Vajradhatu-ishvari is a Buddha of purification. Among the Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug schools, this form of Vajrasattva is associated with the class of Highest Yoga Tantra, specifically the 25th chapter of the Abhidhanottara Tantra, where he is known as Heruka Vajrasattva. As the inner form of the Buddha Vajradhara he represents all the peaceful Buddha families. In the Nyingma Tradition Vajrasattva is an important tutelary deity with many kama (verbally-transmitted) and terma (treasure) traditions.

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