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Lot Essay
This large painting in an archaic style depicts a Kagyu or Sakya lama seated upon an elaborate throne surrounded by Buddhist deities and figures all framed by the vibrant blues and greens of a Chinese-styled landscape. The lama wears his hair tied in a distinctive and elaborate knot suggesting long retreats in which practitioners immerse themselves in meditation often lasting years or months. His patchwork robe is intricately detailed in gold at the hems with floral scrolls and geometric designs. This painting is noteworthy as it was likely commissioned during the lifetime of the lama.
The lama projects a powerful yet peaceful presence. In his left hand, he holds a longevity vase filled with medicinal plants and amrita, the nectar of immortality. The longevity vase along with the appearance of Amitayus, the Buddha of eternal life, serve as tacit aspirations for the teacher to live long and teach widely. From the longevity vase, a lotus stem emerges, the blooming flower sitting elegantly beside his left shoulder. He holds up his right hand in vitarkamudra, a gesture for teaching the dharma. In between his fingers, he holds the base of a lotus stem which blossoms on his right shoulder. Within the two lotuses emerge the bell and vajra, symbolizing the union of compassion and wisdom.
The throne back in this painting is of particular interest. At the base on each side are elephants and birds. Above, two boys carry a horizontal throne strut, on which two white birds stand atop. The upper throne ornamentation employs dynamic and colorful floral scroll motifs, which echo the murals and sculptures of the Central Tibetan monastery of Gyantse created in the fifteenth century. At the very top sits Padmasambhava and two lineage masters of Sakya, indicating the transmission lineage of the main lama. This unique formulation contrasts to the ‘six ornament’ design found in paintings from the seventeenth century onwards.
At the upper and lower registers, Buddhist deities and figures are seated on a ground of billowing clouds and lotuses. A narrative scene beneath depicts the lama and his partner in lay practitioner robes sitting side by side within a pavilion with elaborate architectural brackets. To the right, thu’u bkwan, or local gods donning exotic headdresses present gifts of jewels, silks and animals as offerings to the lama, and the gifts are accepted by two monk attendants. This offering scene can be compared with another seventeenth-century style painting of a Sakya hierarch of the Dzongpa tradition from the collection of Roshan Sabavala and Emanuel Schlesinger, sold at Pundoles, Mumbai, 3 November 2015, lot 17. Compare, also, with an earlier painting with a similar offering scene, in a painting of the initiation of Kublai Khan and the offering of Tibet to Phagpa in the collection of the Rubin Museum (C.2002.3.2), illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 65046.
Although the central figure and the throne-back draws upon a more archaic Gyantse style, the artist places them among a lush blue and green landscape of flora and streams in the Khyenri encampment style. The painting of Khyentse Chenmo, the founder of the Khyenri style which flourished from the 1450s to the 1490s, was significant for his radical rejection of the prevailing, classic Indian and Nepalese-inspired styles with formal red backgrounds, enthusiastically replacing them with the vibrant greens and blues of Chinese landscapes. The syncretism between the two styles creates a striking visual effect.
The lama projects a powerful yet peaceful presence. In his left hand, he holds a longevity vase filled with medicinal plants and amrita, the nectar of immortality. The longevity vase along with the appearance of Amitayus, the Buddha of eternal life, serve as tacit aspirations for the teacher to live long and teach widely. From the longevity vase, a lotus stem emerges, the blooming flower sitting elegantly beside his left shoulder. He holds up his right hand in vitarkamudra, a gesture for teaching the dharma. In between his fingers, he holds the base of a lotus stem which blossoms on his right shoulder. Within the two lotuses emerge the bell and vajra, symbolizing the union of compassion and wisdom.
The throne back in this painting is of particular interest. At the base on each side are elephants and birds. Above, two boys carry a horizontal throne strut, on which two white birds stand atop. The upper throne ornamentation employs dynamic and colorful floral scroll motifs, which echo the murals and sculptures of the Central Tibetan monastery of Gyantse created in the fifteenth century. At the very top sits Padmasambhava and two lineage masters of Sakya, indicating the transmission lineage of the main lama. This unique formulation contrasts to the ‘six ornament’ design found in paintings from the seventeenth century onwards.
At the upper and lower registers, Buddhist deities and figures are seated on a ground of billowing clouds and lotuses. A narrative scene beneath depicts the lama and his partner in lay practitioner robes sitting side by side within a pavilion with elaborate architectural brackets. To the right, thu’u bkwan, or local gods donning exotic headdresses present gifts of jewels, silks and animals as offerings to the lama, and the gifts are accepted by two monk attendants. This offering scene can be compared with another seventeenth-century style painting of a Sakya hierarch of the Dzongpa tradition from the collection of Roshan Sabavala and Emanuel Schlesinger, sold at Pundoles, Mumbai, 3 November 2015, lot 17. Compare, also, with an earlier painting with a similar offering scene, in a painting of the initiation of Kublai Khan and the offering of Tibet to Phagpa in the collection of the Rubin Museum (C.2002.3.2), illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 65046.
Although the central figure and the throne-back draws upon a more archaic Gyantse style, the artist places them among a lush blue and green landscape of flora and streams in the Khyenri encampment style. The painting of Khyentse Chenmo, the founder of the Khyenri style which flourished from the 1450s to the 1490s, was significant for his radical rejection of the prevailing, classic Indian and Nepalese-inspired styles with formal red backgrounds, enthusiastically replacing them with the vibrant greens and blues of Chinese landscapes. The syncretism between the two styles creates a striking visual effect.