A Chakrasamvara mandala commissioned by the Ninth Ngor Khenchen, Lhachok Sengge, Tibet, Ngor monastery, 16th century

Collection of Jean-Claude Ciancimino (1931-2014).

Collection of Sven Gahlin (1934-2017), acquired in 1969.

Pratapaditya Pal, The Art of Tibet, New York, 1969, pl. 14.

Philip Rawson, The Art of Tantra, New York, 1973, pl. 78.

Tantra, Hayward Gallery, London, 1971, cat. no. 3.

This mandala of Chakrasamvara is from the Luipa tradition, featuring the first part of the lineage of transmission along the top register of the painting in fine detail: Vajradhara, Vajrapani, Maha Brahmin Saraha, Acharya Nagarjuna, The Protector Shavari, Luipa, Darikapa, Vajra Ghantapa, Kumarapada, Jalandharapa, and Krishnacharya. Elsewhere in the painting we can see Guhyapa, Nampar Gyalwai Shap, The Acharya Barmai Lobpon, Tilopa, Naropa, Pamtingpa Kuche Nyi, Lama Lokkya Sherab Tseg, Lama Mal Lotsawa, and The Lord of Dharma Sakyapa, although these figures aren’t labeled. Along the bottom register, from right to left (besides the donor figure, who is inscribed as the Ninth Ngor Khenchen, Lhachok Sengge) there are Shri Devi, Panjarnata Mahakala, Khroda Vajrapani, Shadakshari Lokeshvara, Manjushri, Amitabha, Amitayus, and four Ngor tradition lama figures.

The charnel grounds are depicted clockwise, from top center, as follows and each is divided by a blue river rendered with undulating lines and red borders: 

West: Virupa appears alongside white Varuna on makara

Northwest: Luipa appears alongside green Vayu on a buffalo

North: Kukuripa appears alongside yellow Yaksha on horse

Northeast: Saraha appears alongside Shiva on Nandi

East: Indrabhuti (jeweled, unlike the other siddhas) appears alongside Indra on elephant Southeast: Dombi Heruka appears alongside Agni on a goat

South: Nagarjuna appears alongside blue Yama on buffalo

Southwest: Ghantapa appears alongside Rakshasa seated on a zombie

The style of this painting is demonstrative of the Newar legacy upon Tibetan painting styles utilized within the Ngor, Sakya tradition. The Nepalese heritage of Tibetan painting traditions is evidenced by countless extant works of Tibetan Buddhist art in the Newar style utilized within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. However, there is a particularly strong historical connection to the Sakya tradition, evidenced by Ngor Monastery’s preservation of the Beri style from the 15th century onward. One hallmark of this style, present in the mandala here, is the quintessential vegetal scrollwork motif referred to in Tibetan as 'tree-leave cloud design', the five-part petal-like crowns, the use of registers, and the color palette. The heavy use of red in the present lot is also typical for fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Sakya and Ngor paintings and wall murals.

This present mandala is thus a great example of the Newar artisanship found in southern-central Tibet in the sixteenth century. The present painting is very closely comparable to Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 7848, which resides in a private collection. This comparable painting, too, illustrates the Chakrasamvara mandala of the Luipa tradition and was likely commissioned by a Ngor tradition lama; the style of illustrating the mahasiddha figures within the lineage is particularly similar. A similar quality, although 15th-century, mandala of Vajra Nairatmya was sold in these rooms, 21st March 2023, lot 116. 

Sven Gahlin (1934-2017) was a connoisseur collector and dealer of European, Indian and Islamic drawings. Most of the collection of Old Master drawings he assembled was given to the British Museum in 2017, and the collection of Indian paintings and objects was sold in our London rooms, 6th October 2015. The present mandala and the following lot remained in the family collection until now.