A FINELY EMBROIDERED THANGKA DEPICTING CHAKRASAMVARA AND VAJRAVARAHI CHINA, QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

the deity and consort standing in alidhasana, trampling supine figures underfoot atop a lotus throne, within a flaming rainbow prabhamandala, with foliate aureole, wearing the five-pointed crowns and six bone ornaments, holding a variety of weapons and ritual instruments, with charnel ground scene, wrathful offerings and a fierce protector in the lower register, framed in a textile mount

Henri A. Kamer Galerie, Inc., New York, 5th October 1971; thence by descent.

Very good overall condition, with fading to silk thread overall. Framed in Imperial textile mount.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This finely embroidered silk-floss thangka depicts the yidams or meditational deities Chakrasamvara and his consort Vajravarahi, the principal deities of the Anuttarayoga or Highest Yoga Tantra, joined in ecstatic union.

The precision and meticulous detailing of the thangka reflects the spectacular skill of the artisans and ateliers associated with the Qing Imperial court, located in the textile workshops in the region of Suzhou in Eastern China. The open sky behind the central deities and the expanse of rolling clouds above the charnel ground scene in the lower register are both indicative of the syncretic Tibeto-Chinese style which developed there throughout the 17th and 18th Century.

Chakramsavara is blue in color, with four faces, and twelve arms. The six left hands hold a flayed elephant skin, a damaru or drum, a vajra-tipped parashu or axe, a kartrika or chopper, a trishula or trident and a vajra, and the right hands hold a flayed elephant skin, a danda or staff, a kapala or skullcup, a pasha or lasso, the brahmamukha or severed heads of Brahma and a ghanta or bell. Vajrayogini is red in color and holds a vajra in the raised right hand. The Bengali mahasiddha Luipa appears in the upper left, and an unidentified Sakya lama in the upper right.

Compare the current work with two embroideries in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Tangka-Buddhist Painting of Tibet, Hong Kong, 1995, vol. 59, p. 240, cat. no. 222 & p. 252-3, cat. no. 232.

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