Lot 93 Dα

A thangka of Arya-Avalokiteshvara. Tibet, 19th century

The eleven-headed and thousand-armed manifestation of the transcendent Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with white body colour stands in samapada on a lotus leaf pedestal. The front pair of hands are joined in front of the chest holding the invisible wishing gem cintamani in manidharamudra, the other hands in the inner circle holding cakra, capa and shara (bow and arrow), kalasa, mala and padma, while the other arms radiate around his body and are arranged concentrically in a middle and outer circle. His multiple faces are displaying partly a serene expression, nine of them are peacefully smiling and crowned, the tenth is wrathful and crowned with the red head of his spiritual father Amithaba. The figure is surrounded by four of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, clockwise from upper right Vairocana, Amoghasiddhi, Akshobya, and Ratnasambhava and a Gelugpa Lama, all seated on lotus thrones and set in a green mountain landscape with a river. Opaque pigments and gold on textile. Losses of colour.
72.5 x 48.5 cm