A THANGKA DEPICTING ATISHA DIPAMKARA EAST TIBET, LATE 17TH / EARLY 18TH CENTURY

seated cross-legged with hands in dharmachakramudra, wearing the distinctive hat with hanging lappets common to Indian pandits, with loose and flowing robes heavily embellished in gold in the Chinese style, atop an ornate lotus throne with flayed yak skin, surrounded by the main disciples of Atisha Dipamkara holding precious offerings, flanked by Atisha's particular iconographic elements, the khakkhara with stupa finial and chilug 

Acquired in Bremen, Germany, 1920s.

Good overall condition. The canvas is sturdy and appears to have good structural integrity, with scattered minor losses of ground and paint consistent with age. The paint layer exhibits some cracking with paint loss from past rolling and handing. Minor consolidation, such as at the halo of Atisha and the dark blue deity above Atisha. Exhibited in a temporary frame.
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The present 17th century thangka depicting episodes from the life of Atisha is an elegant example of the stylistic trends of East Tibet from this period; in particular, use of narrative to inform the composition, as well as the incorporation of complex landscape and architectural elements, reflecting the powerful artistic influence of neighboring China, which dominate the composition and provide spatial delineation for each of the beautifully executed vignettes.

Established as the abbot of the great monastic institution of Vikramashila, Atisha traveled to Tibet at the request of the Guge kings Yeshe-Ö and Jangchub-Ö to reinvigorate the tradition of Buddhist scholarship which had waned in the preceding centuries, due to the regime of Buddhist repression under the late king Langdarma. Atisha and his team of translators would later be canonized as the founders of the Sarma or New Translation School, responsible for the second wave of Buddhist philosophy filtering into Tibet from its Indian homeland.

Compare the overall composition, including the gold-tipped aureole; multicolored mandorla with radiating spires; the drapery of the richly embroidered robes; the upturned petals of the single lotus throne; the gabled rooftops; the decorative foliate elements; and the undulating clouds and rivers with another thangka from the first half of the 18th century also depicting Atisha with episodes from his life, see David Jackson, A History of Tibetan Painting, Vienna, 1996, p. 360, pl. 68.

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 12874.