A rare Kagyu nagthang ‎thangka of Chakrasamvara Tibet, 16th-17th century | 西藏 十六至十七世紀 噶舉派勝樂金剛與金剛亥母黑唐卡 設色絹本

Eric Chazot, François Guénet，Tantra: Théologie de l’Amour et de la Liberté，Rocher出版社，摩納哥，2016年，頁98，圖65

The black ground thangka (nagthang) depicts the divine couple Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi in dynamic embrace, their union symbolising blissful transcendence. An aureole of fire behind the couple represents pristine awareness, and Brahmanical deities red Kalaratri and blue Bhairava are trampled underfoot as obstacles to enlightenment. Four skull cups (kapala) resting on auspicious vases are depicted to the left and right of the flaming aureole, with emanations of Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi either side together with the Four Yogini of Great Bliss (mahasukha) and direction guardian Yoginis to the side and below. The guardian Vaishravana stands beneath next an altar table laden with offerings and surrounded by Chinese style bottles and vases and a monk’s hat ewer: cf. this unusual feature with the Chinese porcelain bottle vases and monk’s hat ewer depicted around an altar table on a late 15th century Tibetan thangka of Avalokiteshvara in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, see Watt and Leidy, Defining Yongle: Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth century China, New York, 2005, p. 89, pl. 36.

The primordial Buddha Vajradhara presides in the middle of the upper register with the Kagyu lineage of Choku Yeshe Khandro, mahasiddha Naropa, Milarepa (1040-1123), Jetsun Dorje Gyalpo [Phagmodrupa] (1110-1170) on the left, and Jetsun Tsangpa Gyal (1161-1211) slightly below. And mahasiddha Tilopa, Marpa (1012-1096), Ketsun-nyi Gomje, Tokten Lingchen-rab, seated on the right, with Gyalpo Gotsangpa slightly below.

Rinchen Lingpa appears at the apex of the flaming aureole with Drukpa Kagyu lineage holders Chopal Sherab, Relden Lama, Gongma Tso-nyi Rinpoche, Chenga Rinchen-den, Bakton Sherab-tsen, Drakpa Chungne (1175-1255), Yang-gonpa (1213-1258). Compare the style of the hierarchs arranged around Chakrasamvara’s flaming halo with a late sixteenth century Tibetan black ground painting of this subject now in the Musée Guimet, see Gilles Béguin, Art ésotérique de l’Himâlaya: La donation Lionel Fournier, Paris, 1990, pp.129, cat. no 72, illus. p. 130.

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本黑唐卡描繪噶舉派勝樂金剛與金剛亥母交抱，火焰背光代表知覺清净，勝樂腳踩象徵黑闇天女及黑陪盧（怖畏王），背光左右刻畫四嘎巴拉缽，並刻畫四瑜伽母，象徵大樂，旁邊及下方亦有瑜伽母陪伴。祭壇上貢品無數，並置中式瓶器及僧帽壺，此款紋飾甚爲鮮見，可比較紐約大都會博物館收藏十五世紀西藏唐卡例，參考Watt及Leidy，《Defining Yongle: Imperial Art in Early Fifteenth century China》，紐約，2005年，頁89，圖版36。

勝樂金剛左邊為耶謝康卓大成就者那若巴、密勒日巴（1040-1123年）及帕摩竹巴（1110-1170年），稍下方為藏巴甲热·益西多吉（1161-1211年）。右邊為大成就者帝洛巴、瑪爾巴（1012-1096年）、克尊尼貢傑、托登林欽饒，稍下方為嘉波葛桑巴。

背光頂端刻畫仁欽甯巴，竹巴噶舉傳承者丘帕謝拉、熱登喇嘛、貢瑪措尼仁波切、成噶仁欽登、巴頓謝拉贊、扎巴瓊尼 （1175-1255年）、楊貢巴 (1213--1258年).。圍繞背光刻畫歷代傳承者之風格，可比較一十六世紀後期西藏畫作例，現存於吉美博物館，參考Gilles Béguin，《Art ésotérique de l’Himâlaya: La donation Lionel Fournier》，巴黎，1990年，頁129，編號72，圖見頁130。