A thangka of Vishnu mandala
Nepal, 1722
Vishnu at centre holding his attributes, adorned with jewellery, and wearing a crown, standing within a niche and flanked by Hanuman and Garuda, surrounded by seated Hindu deities arranged on lotus petals in concentric circles, with additional deities in a rectangular border, with an inscription and donor figures at the bottom
32½ x 26½ in. (82.6 x 67.3 cm.)
Details
- Title : A thangka of Vishnu mandala
- Year : 1722
- Classification : Painting
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : Christies
- LOT : 400
- Pre-Lot Text : PROPERTY OF A SWISS COLLECTOR
- Lot Essay : In 1939, Peter Aufschnaiter led a mountaineering expedition to Nanga Parbat with Heinrich Harrer and other climbers. After determining the ascent impossible, they were enroute back to Europe when they were detained by British forces and interned at the Dehradun Central Internment Camp in India following the outbreak of World War II. Harrer and Aufschnaiter made several unsuccessful attempts to escape together until 1944, when disguised as Indian workers and British officers, they slipped successfully into Tibet. With previous knowledge of the Tibetan language, Aufshnaiter proceeded to Lhasa with Harrer where they both contributed to civic projects within the capitol. Their time together in Tibet was chronicled in Harrer's book, and the subsequent 1997 movie, Seven Years in Tibet.
- Price realised : USD 15,000
- Estimate : USD 6,000 - USD 8,000
- Provenance : Acquired from Peter Aufschnaiter in Austria, 1973