A THANGKA DEPICTING BHAISAJYAGURU TIBET, 16TH CENTURY |

the blue Medicine Buddha holding a myrobolan in the right hand with left in dhyana mudra holding a black patra, seated in vajraparyankasana on a snow lion throne draped with a cloth depicting a Sakya hierarch in dharmachakra mudra, a torana with hamsa above, the bodhisattva Suryabhaskara standing to the left holding a lotus bearing the sun, and Chandrabhaskara to the right holding a lotus bearing the crescent moon, with pandita, lamas, officials, Buddhas and Prajnaparamita in the upper registers, the Sixteen Bodhisattvas surrounding the throne, Twelve Yaksha Generals below with Sakya hierarchs in debate, and Hindu deities as guardians in the lower register, including Indra on the elephant vahana Airavata, Vishnu, Agni, Yama, Nairrita, Varuna, Vayu, Kubera, Ganesha, Ishana, Surya, Chandra and Prithvi Himalayan Art Resources item no. 77136.

The diminutive Sakya lama depicted on the throne cloth is possibly Sakya Pandita (1182-1251) holding stems of flowers supporting the book and sword, attributes usually associated with the hierarch. Compare the composition, palette, the style of the lotus petals, the throne and the lions within, the halos of a circa 1500 Sakya order thangka depicting Sakya Pandita and Chogyal Pakpa in the Rubin Museum of Art, see Marylin M. Rhie and Robert A. F. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999, p. 295, cat. no. 89.