He is represented sitting in lalitasana on a lotiform base placed on a throne. His main hands are in dharmacakramudra, the others radiating around him. He is dressed in dhoti, adorned with jewels. His face is borrowed from a serene expression. It is flanked by four prayers. The upper register is decorated with the five Tathagatas, Buddha Shakyamuni and Maitreya. The lower register is painted with four scenes of ritual ceremonies.
This fine paubha portrays a rare form of the six-armed Avalokiteshvara who sits majestically in lalitasana on a lotus base placed on an elaborate throne. He is sumptuously decorated with jewellery contrasting well against his red body colour. The iconographic particularities are discussed at length and explained by Gilles Béguin on pages 172 and 175 in his publication and therefore need not to be repeated. The god of compassion is surrounded by various emanations, the upper register includes the five transcendental Buddhas and the lower part shows the priestly consecration of the painting and its donors.
The unknown artist displays a confident, firm hand resulting in a well-balanced composition with delicate and fine executed lines. The subdued colours, with an emphasize on red and blue, makes this early painting an important testimony of early Newari religious art.
Details
- Title : IMPORTANT PAUBHA REPRESENTANT AVALOKITESHVARA
- Classification : Painting
- Dimension : Dimensions: 65 x 53 cm. (25 5/8 x 20 7/8 in.), Inset
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : Christies
- LOT : 36
- Post Lot Text : AN IMPORTANT FRAMED PAUBHA DEPICTING AVALOKITESHVARA NEPAL, CIRCA 1300
- Price realised : EUR 391,500
- Estimate : EUR 300,000 - EUR 400,000
- Provenance : The Private Collection of Lionel and Danielle Fournier of Himalayan Art, collected in Europe during 1970s-1980s.
- Literature : H. Uhlig, Tantrische Kunst des Buddhismus, Verlag Ullstein GmbH, Berlin 1981, p. 156-157, n. 52. *G. Béguin, Art ésotérique de l'Himâlaya : La donation Lionel Fournier, Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris 1990, p. 174.
- Exhibited : Musée national des arts asiatiques - Guimet, 13 October 1990 - 28 January 1991