A THANGKA DEPICTING VAIROCANA Western Tibet, circa 1300

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 13071.

Areas of rubbing and pigment loss throughout. One inch crack in pigment at center, on Vairocana's lower robe. With areas of pigment consolidation and some loss to details in the upper left and right quadrants, as viewed in catalogue illustration. Areas of re-weaving and textile conservation along the proper right edge of painting, visible at verso. Inscribed with consecration mantra and the Buddhist creed in Tibetan at verso. Mounted in traditional-style modern frame.
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Under the patronage of the Buddhist kings of Guge, the artistic traditions of Kashmir and the Western Himalayas were imported into Western Tibet beginning in the 11th Century, and this artistic legacy is strongly articulated in the current work. The central figure of this thangka likely depicts the dhyani buddha Vairocana, flanked on either side by his bodhisattva disciples Ananda and Kasyapa.

Although dhyani buddhas are commonly depicted with the regal jewelry and adornments of the bodhisattva, a number of earlier and contemporaneous paintings from the Western Himalayas depict examples of Vairocana with an unadorned Buddha appearance, such as in the current work; see a 14th Century thangka from Spiti depicting Vairocana from the Koelz Collection in the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology, HAR item no. 92011; and also a 13th Century thangka depicting Vairocana flanked by Ananda and Kasyapa in the Soma Lhakhang at Alchi, Ladakh, see Pratapaditya Pal, Tibetan Paintings, 1984, pl. 10. 

Other stylistic elements which can be considered typical of Western Tibetan painting include the kirtimukha above the central figure at the top of the throne; the elongated, tubular physiognomy of the limbs; the graceful arch and flick of the eyebrows; the high, pointed crowns on the bodhisattvas; and the elegantly curled petal tips on the lotus throne.  

Of particular note in the current work are the decorative embellishments rendered in jewel-like tones: the jewelled halo and nimbus of Vairocana; the red and maroon abstract yungdrung or swastika patterning on the robe of Vairocana and on the lower throne; the row of green pearls along the upper throne; and the multicolored lozenge bands which outline the throne. Foliate elements and addorsed makara, rampant vyala, leogryphs and garuda abound—also note the playfully rendered elephant vahana of the green female deity in the lower right.