A THANGKA DEPICTING AN EARLY BUDDHIST MASTER Tibet, Circa 1200 or 13th Century

the master with closely cropped black hair, hands in dharmachakra mudra holding a lotus stem with a flaming triratna, and dressed in a red patchwork robe and cloak of golden floral patterned cloth, seated on a multi-coloured lotus supported on a lion and elephant throne draped with a floral patterned altar cloth, a green cushion behind with red foliate pattern resting against a torana with makara emerging from the cosmic ocean, a halo framing the face of the lama, a diminutive kneeling Achala to the left and Amitabha to the right holding a patra, with the bodhisattva Maitreya standing to the left of the hierarch holding a nagakesara flower, Avalokiteshvara to the right with the stem of a white lotus, an assembly of Indian pandita wearing red caps, Tibetan monks and a Tibetan layman wearing a white robe in the register to the left, Tibetan monks to the right and in the registers around the halo, with Buddha, Maitreya and Indian pandita in the upper register, Mahakala, Vajravidarana, Shadakshari Avalokiteshvara, Vasudhara and Ganapati in the lower register, a lama in adoration with hands in anjali mudra and holding a lotus flower with ratna to the right, with offerings of conch shells, a golden stupa, fly whisks, fruit, seeds, jewels, torma and butter lamps, all within a geometric multi-coloured stylised lotus petal border

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 19822.
36 1/2 by 28 1/2 in. (93 by 72 cm)