THANGKA WITH SAMANTHABADRA AND THE PEACEFUL AND WRATHFUL DEITIES OF THE BARDO.

Tibet; 19th c.
Colors and gold on fabric. Mounted with Chinese silk. In the center of this extraordinarily detailed Thangka; the Adi Buddha Samantabhadra is depicted in yab-yum with his female spiritual counterpart Samantabhadri. Their aureole is radiating in multiple colors depicting the pure energy emanating from the couple. On a bright green background; in the lower half of the painting; we see the Peaceful Deities of the Bardo; while on the upper half; painted on a lapis lazuli blue background; the Wrathful Deities are shown in striking vididness and detail. These deities are related to the transmigratory visions in the period between Death and Rebirth - the Bardo.

The brilliant lapis lazuli blue and malachite green as well as the striking orange colors are classic of the finest paintings of the late 18th and 19th c. The graphic rendering of the Wrathful Deities reveals the hand of a master painter. Painting 68 x 54 cm. With textile frame 125 x 90 cm.

Provenance:
-Private collection Germany (before 1975).

Published:
-Detlef Ingo Lauf; Geheimlehren Tibetischer Totenbuecher - Jenseitswelten
und Wandlung nach dem Tode (Freiburg im Breisgau; 1975); Tafel 8.Art trade; Van Ham.