Tangka Paintings
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#17457
- Textile tangka
- Length: 27.50 inch
- Width: 22.25 inch
- Acquired: Likir Monastery in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Koelz number: K568
Description
Amitayus. The main figure of this tangka is the Buddha of Eternal Life, Amitayus. Red in color, he sits in the meditative pose; he holds the vase of eternal life. The large Buddha is surrounded by thirty-five smaller Buddhas, multiple images of Amitayus holding the vase. The Bodhisattvas who stand in attendance beside the Buddha would seem to be Avalokiteshvara on the viewer's left and Mahastamaprapta on the viewer’s right. Scrollwork abounds in this painting, particularly evident in the scroll pattern of the decorated robe flowing across the knees of the large Amitayus figure. Eight lotuses, four on each knee, are incorporated into the scrollwork; in the center of these eight lotuses are the eight glorious emblems of Buddhism.
The similarities between this painting and the Tara painting (tangka 17458) are great enough to conclude that they were done by the same hand. These similarities are evident in facial details in the smaller figures, and in the depictions of clouds, background areas, medallions and flower types. Even the same patron figure appears in both tangkas. Here the figure is set in a small lotus just below and to the right of the throne of Amitayus.
A comparison with the wall paintings at Basgo leads to the conclusion that the tangka was probably produced in Ladakh in the early 17th century. Note: Jeffrey Watt, Himalayan Art Resources, attributes to the 18th century.