A rare and exceptionally large painted banner depicting a Buddha Tibet, 18th Century

seated in bhadrasana on a throne, his feet resting on a lotus flower pedestal, dressed in monk's garb with a red floral patterned shamtap bound at the waist with a yellow sash and a yellow patchwork robe, his hands held in the teaching gesture of dharmachakra mudra, a canopy with jeweled festoons and flowing scarves hanging above him, Tsong Khapa seen in the top left of the painting, and the bodhisattva Manjusri, of whom Tsong Khapa is recognized as an incarnation, seated in the top right of the composition, the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani, painted in their respective iconographic colors of white and blue, standing elegantly poised at either side of the throne, Avalokitesvara appearing as Padmapani, indicated by the white lotus that he holds in his left hand, a bowl set in front of the Buddha containing sensory offerings of a perfumed conch shell, a lute and a dharmachakra (Wheel of Law) bound with a flowing red scarf

The monumental size of this painting would suggest that it was made for use during religious festivals, where such vast images were hung for the congregation in prominent positions such as an outside wall of a monastery building. For durability in this environment, silk appliqué was the technique usually employed to produce these large images. It is thus extremely rare to find a painted thangka of these grand proportions.

Since the image was designed to be viewed at some distance, the composition relies on bold forms placed in a simple landscape to create visual impact. At the same time, details such as the floral motif on the golden edging of the Buddha’s patchwork robe and the grain of the wooden lute are delicately rendered. The beautiful geometric and floral patterns on the textiles covering the seat of the Buddha’s throne are also finely painted in a vivid palette that was popular in eastern Tibet in the eighteenth century.

The inclusion of Tsong Khapa suggests the painting was commissioned for a Gelukpa monastery. Although the combination of bhadrasana and dharmachakra mudra are associated with Maitreya, there are no further identifying symbols such as the stupa (usually shown in the hair in front of the ushnisha) to confirm such an attribution. However, the cult of Maitreya was popular with the Gelukpa order, and it may be that this painting does indeed portray the future Buddha.

The Buddha’s compassionate expression and the grace with which his form is rendered despite the enormous proportions, displays the consummate skill of the master artist. This thangka is one of the largest painted images of the Buddha to have survived from Tibet.