Details
1838 x 1534 in. (46.7 x 40 cm.)
Literature
D. Jackson, The Nepalese Legacy in Tibetan Painting, New York, 2010, p. 112, fig. 6.20.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 41209.
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Lot Essay

This important painting from the mid-fourteenth century depicts Shadakshari Lokeshvara, the four-armed manifestation of the bodhisattva of supreme compassion embodying his famed six-syllable mantra “Om mani padme hum.” In the center of the composition, Shadakshari Lokeshvara joins two of his four hands together before him in a gesture of reverence. With his second left hand, he grasps the stem of a white lotus, and with his second right hand, he holds up a rosary.
At the main figure’s proper right at the left of the composition is the male accompanying figure Manidhara, who also has four arms and is yellow in color. He holds his hands in the same position as Shadakshari Lokeshvara and holds a hidden jewel between his first pair of hands. To the right of the composition, the goddess Shadakshari is depicted with the same attributes as the central figure. Occasionally, she is recognized as the consort of Shadakshari Lokeshvara. The two accompanying figures turn partially towards Lokeshvara in a gesture of reverence and respect. The style, iconography and the figural position of the accompanying deities in the present painting are closely related to a mural of Shadakshari Lokeshvara in “Chenrezig Lhakhang” of Shalu Monastery, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item nos. 57021-57023.
The iconographic program of the present painting originates from the Indian Buddhist master Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana, an instrumental figure in the spread of Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent to Tibet during the eleventh century and a key figure in the Kadam lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The sadhana or practice manual for Shadakshari Lokeshvara is found within Atisha’s collection of thirty-three tantric lineages, more commonly known as the "Hundred Sadhanas of Narthang." In the present painting, the transmission lineage of Shadakshari Lokeshvara is depicted in horizontal registers from left to right – beginning with Shakyamuni and Vajradhara, and extending towards the right, including Tilopa and Atisha. The subsequent tier starts with Droton Kunga Gyaltshen, a prominent figure in the early to mid-fourteenth century, followed by additional lineage masters of the Kadam school. The lower left corner depicts three additional gurus seated within vegetal scrolls. The lower right corner depicts three lay patrons, potentially a father and his two sons. They are rendered in a kneeling position, their hands clasped in a gesture of supplication, directed towards Lokeshvara. Before them, offerings of food, water, and incense are placed, framed by a red shrine resting on an orange lotus.
On the two sides of Shadakshari Lokeshvara's shoulders are Manjushri and Vajrapani. To his proper left, Arapacana Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom is seated atop a lotus. He brandishes the sword of wisdom in his right hand and holds the stem of a lotus on which a book rests above his left shoulder. On Lokeshvara's proper left, Vajrapani stands in the archer’s stride, holding a vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left. Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Vajrapani epitomize compassion, wisdom, and power respectively, fundamental qualities for advancing along the Buddhist spiritual path. Together, they are known as “The Three Lords of the World.”
The present work is a cornerstone that marks a transitional period in Tibetan painting, a time when the older Pala-Sena style is being replaced by the more modern Beri or Newari style. The Beri was a classic Indic style that flourished in Nepal and was adjacently related to the Eastern-Indian Pala style. According to David Jackson, it became the universal painting style of Tibet for about a century, from the 1360s to 1450s, following the demise of the Pala style. Compared to the earlier Pala style, the Beri style employed more vegetal scrollwork as decorative elements to fill nimbuses or color fields in the background of paintings. The scrollwork is often so fine that it seems at first glance to be painted with a solid coat of color.
While the artwork is executed in the Newari style, echoes of earlier Pala influences persist. Specifically, the rugged mountainous elements within which the five primordial Buddhas and rishis are seated, along with the stylized trees, exhibit a distinct Pala influence. Additionally, the utilization of an indigo blue background in the lower section of the painting and the swirling scrollwork created by the lotus stem all bear the hallmark of the Pala style. Compare the present painting with a closely related and iconographically similar painting of Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara illustrated by David Jackson in The Nepalese Legacy in Tibetan Painting, New York, 2010, fig 6.19, p. 110.

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