Beschreibung:

A LARGE THANGKA OF SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHATIBET, 18TH CENTURY Distemper on cloth; with silk mounts and veil, and red lacquer and gold painted dowel rod; recto with Tibetan inscriptions in gold identifying each of the figures. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 4702 Image: 104 x 64.7 cm (41 x 25 1/2 in.); With silks: 170 x 79 cm (67 x 31 in.) Footnotes西藏 十八世紀 釋迦牟尼唐卡 Provenance: Private UK Collection, acquired in the 1990s Verso with a lengthy Sanskrit inscription written in Tibetan vartu script in black ink of vivifying, wealth, and long-life mantras and the Buddhist creed, all composed within a red ink stupa: Om Sarva Vidhya Svaha! Om Sarva Vidhya Svaha! Om Sarva Vidhya Svaha! Om Vajra Ayiushe Svaha! Om Vajra Ayiushe Svaha! Om Vajra Ayiushe Svaha! Om Vajra Ayiushe Svaha! Om Vajra Ayiushe Svaha! Om Vajra Ayiushe Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Tayatha Om Muni Muni Maha Muni Shakya Muniye Svaha! Om Amarani Jivandehi Svaha! OM AMARANI JIVANDEHI SVAHA om namo bhagawate aparimita ayurjnana subinischita tejo rajaya | tathagataya arhate samyaksambuddhaya | tadyatha om punye punye maha punye | aparimita punye aparimita punya jnana sambharo pachite | om sarva samskara parishuddha dharmate gagana samudgate svabhava vishuddhe mahanaya parivare svaha Om A AA, I II, U UU, Ri Rii, Li Lii, E Ai, Am Ah, Sva Ha, Ka Kha Gha Ga Nga, Tsa Tsha Za zha nya, Ta Tha Da Dha Na, Ta tha da dha Na, Pa Pha Ba Bha ma, Ya ra la wa, sa ka sha ha, cha tra ye dharma hetuprabhava hetum tesam tathagato hyavadat, tesam ca yo nirodha evaṃvadi mahashra manah, Om Zambha lha Dza len dayi sva ha, Om Supratishtha Vajra Ye sva ha! Sarva Mangalam! Followed by the 'Patience Prayer', bottom center, inscribed in Tibetan: Bzod pa dka' thub bzod pa dam pa ni/ Mya ngan 'das pa mchog ces sangs rgyas gsungs/ Rab tu byung ba gzhan la gnod pa dang / Gzhan la 'tshe ba dge sbyong ma yin no/ Patience is the supreme ascetic practice, patience is supreme nirvana, said the Buddha(s). The renunciate who harms another and who injures another is no Sramana (Buddhist ascetic). The Sage of the Sakyas Written in collaboration with Jeff Watt and Karma Gellek, November 2022 (abridged) This remarkable thangka of Shakyamuni Buddha is executed with astonishing detail and a brilliant vibrant palette that ranks among the highest level of Tibetan painting from any school or period. The strict quality of line and exacting technical execution are peered with imperial works produced for the Qing court and those sent to the emperors as gifts. In fact, the closest known comparison to this painting is a gift from a leader of the Gelug order to the Qianlong emperor (r. 1722-97), now preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing (fig. 1; HAR 34756). Like it, the present thangka primarily follows in the Khyen-ri painting tradition that originated with the visionary artist Khyentse Chenmo in Central Tibet in the 15th century, though this painting also has a background characteristic of 18th-century Eastern Tibetan painting. Despite the numerous inscriptions on the front and back of this masterpiece, neither the artist nor his patron are mentioned. However, there can be little doubt that the work was sponsored by a prominent patron or monastery, with stylistic evidence indicating a close association with the scroll paintings of Palpung monastery and the painted murals of the Jonang Puntsog Ling, which flourished under one of Tibet's great polymaths, Taranatha (1575-1634). The artist's refrain from landscape elements in this painting's minimalist background concentrates the viewer's attention on the glorious architecture and details of the throne, the shrine placed before it, and the great sage seated on it. Prominently situated at the center of