The Paubha, dedicated to the ‘Triratna’ or ‘Three Jewels of Buddhism’ depicts a temple complex with Prajnaparmita, Buddha and Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara seated within the portals of the principal three-tiered temple, attended by two monks and surrounded by lesser temples and a multitude of Buddhist and Hindu Dieties. There are further temples above, and narrative episodes to the sides.
Details
- Title : BUDDHIST TEMPLE
- Year : 17th - 18th Century
- Classification : Painting
- Medium : Distemper on cloth
- Dimension : 41 3/4 x 34 2/3 in. (106 x 88 cm.)
- Accession No : GNM_LOT 24_PUN_15
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : PUNDOLE’S
- Status : LIVE AUCTION The Fine Arts Sale (M0007) (as per NOV 2021)
- ESTIMATED : ₹1,600,000 - ₹2,400,000
- SOLD : ₹1,800,000
- REGISTERED ANTIQUITY : NON-EXPORTABLE ITEM (Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of Sale at the back of the catalogue.)
- PROVENANCE : Formerly in the Collection of Ernst and Angela Jucker, Ettingen, Switzerland / Hugo E. Kreijger, Kathmandu Valley Painting, The Jucker Collection, Boston, 1999, p. 58, no. 16.
- NOTE : The use of the traditional Newar temple form as the dominant motif in the paubha is a distinctive feature of Newari paintings, whether Hindu or Buddhist. The upper register depicts the Seven Buddhas of the Past. Even though the lower register is missing, the images of the donor and his family are still visible, as they have been unusually placed below the upper register. The influence of seventeenth and eighteenth century Rajput paintings is seen in the style of the narrative scenes surrounding the shrine, specifically the mannered gestures of the turbaned figures and domed palace roofs. As Dr. Pratapaditya Pal explains, 'In the seventeenth century, Newar artists began to adopt motifs and mannerisms from both Indian and Tibetan painting as seen in a number of works in the Jucker Collection. For instance, in the unique paubha dedicated to the Triratna of 3 jewels of Buddhism, while the divine figures are represented attired in the traditional mode, the narrative panels are clearly influenced by Mughal/Rajput paintings.' (Dr. Pratapaditya Pal, 'The Jucker Collection: A Personal Appreciation', Sotheby's, The Jucker Collection of Himalayan Paintings, New York, March 2006, p. 6.) The mountain design dividing the narrative scenes can be compared to a Vishnu Temple paubha dated 1681 in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai. Also see Pratapaditya Pal, The Arts of Nepal: Part II, Painting, Leiden, 1978, pl. 115.