A fine and rare painting on cloth depicting the mandala of manjuvajra Tibet, 15th century

the palace surrounded by circles of lotus petals and multi-colored flames set on a brilliant red scrollwork field strewn with auspicious emblems and with lamas and deities within roundels, with Manjushri accompanying Sakya lineage teachers in a gallery above with multi-armed deities and dharmapala in the lower register, the palace set on a dark scrollwork field, with vajra gates in the four directions, and with the six-armed and three-headed saffron-colored Manjuvajra at center seated in union with his four-armed prajna, surrounded by manifestations within the yellow, red, green and white scrollwork quadrants

Acquired Makler Gallery, Philadelphia, November 1963

In very good overall condition but with creasing and losses overall, all mostly visible in the catalogue illustrations. No major staining or water damage, but a film of accretion overall. The colors of deeper and richer tone than in the catalogue illustrations. No restoration. A later silk mount stitched to the painting partially obscuring a painted 'rice-grain' patterned border on all four sides. The whole frame and glazed, the back with an Exhibition label from The Philadelphia Museum of Art, with Exhibition Title: Friends Collect. No inspection of the back of the painting.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The mandala would most probably have been painted as one of a series depicting the cycle of Guhyasamaja, described as the King of Tantras, one of the earliest Buddhist tantras to have emerged from India, and one that is widely practised throughout the various Tibetan religious orders. The lineage depicted in the upper register confirms that the mandala was painted for the Sakya order, and the composition compares closely with paintings commissioned at the Ngor Monastery in the fifteenth century, and known to have been painted by Newar artists, cf. a fifteenth century Tibetan mandala depicting Hevajra Kapaladhara, see Amy Heller, Tibetan Art: Tracing the Development of Spiritual Ideals and Art in Tibet, 600-2000 AD, Milan, 1999, p. 149, no. 87. Cf. the pillars supporting stupas in the upper and lower registers of the renowned fifteenth century Ngor monastery Four Mandala Vajravali painting in the Zimmerman Family Collection, see Steven M. Kossak and Jane Casey Singer, Sacred Visions, Early Paintings from Central Tibet, New York, 1999, p. 170, pl. 47c. And for a related Sakya painting depicting the Thirty-Two-Deity Guhyasamaja Mandala, dated to the late fourteenth to fifteenth century, see John C. Huntington and Dina Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Columbus, 2003, pp. 441-3, no. 136.