Four Buddhist masters Distemper on cloth Tibet

An Indian Pandita to the left of the upper register wearing a white robe with golden floral patterns and red peaked cap, in discourse with a Tibetan monk to the right wearing a monastic sleeveless jacket and orange robes with gold floral decoration, both figures seated on thrones with floral canopies and chattra, two Tibetan lamas in the lower register, to the left a Sakya master wearing richly decorated lay robes, and to the right a Sakya heirarch in monastic garments, both seated on thrones with silks suspended behind their cushions, all against a sky blue background with golden clouds, surrounded by numerous deities, mahasiddhas, Indian teachers and Tibetan lamas.

US Collection, 1980's

In good to fair and consistent condition overall. Wear, losses and creases throughout. No major area of damage or staining, but with suppression of losses in the blue background field and greens especially, but no major in-painting.
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The finely painted Sakya order thanka depicts the transmission of Buddhist teachings from the Indian traditions to Tibet monks, most notably occurring in the eleventh century. Both the Indian master and the Tibetan monk in the upper register are seated beneath pipal leaf canopies, indicating an Indian setting. Thus the upper register depicts the direct in situ transmission of the Pala Indian Buddhist doctrine to the Tibetan pilgrim. Perhaps the most renowned Sakya order pilgrim was Drogmi Shakya Yeshe (c. 990-c. 1074) who spent eighteen years at Vikramashila monestry in India under instruction from such tutors as the great master Viravajra, studying the tantra of Hevajra amongst other subjects; the tantra referred to in this painting by the dancing Hevajra image between master and disciple at the top center of the picture. No inscriptions firmly identify the characters in the painting, but Drogmi is certainly a candidate for the monk receiving instruction as he holds a text in his left hand; it is he that is credited with the translation into Tibetan of major Indian texts. The two Sakya hierarchs in the lower register are similarly unidentified, but are generally recognisable as lineage holders of the teachings brought to Tibet by masters such as Drogmi. The presence of the blue dancing Nairatma between the two lamas, and the dancing Hevajra in the upper register, would indicate that the lamas are Lamdre lineage holders, the Hevajra tantra being at the heart of the teaching.