A THANGKA DEPICTING TAKLUNG ABBOTS KUYELWA AND SANGYE YARJON Tibet, Circa 1300

the abbot Kuyelwa on the left wearing a red patchwork robe and floral patterned cloak, with closely cropped black hair, chiseled features, slightly parted lips, a thin moustache and tuft of beard below, hands in dharmachakra mudra, seated on a lotus supported by a tiered and stepped snow lion throne draped with a floral textile at centre, with a green patterned cushion behind against a torana with viyala and elephant to the left, male and female kinnara emerging from swirling oceans on the cross bar above and a khyung atop the golden halo, the abbot in discourse with Sangye Yarjon on the right wearing a red patchwork robe and cloak of geometric and vajra patterns, with similarly cropped black hair and chiselled features, but close shaven, hands in vitarka and dhyana mudra, and seated on a lotus supported by a tiered and stepped snow lion throne draped with a geometric textile at centre, with a green patterned cushion behind against a torana with viyala and elephant to the right and an assembly of jewels, ritual objects and crossed fly whisks between the hierarchs, makara emerging from swirling oceans on the cross bar above and a khyung atop the golden halo, the Taklung founder Tashipel seated in dharmachakra mudra between and above the two abbots, with staves of multi-coloured mountains above, the bodhisattva Vajrapani and Buddha Shakyamuni appearing from behind the mountains left and right, and shrines in the upper register with Vajradhara, Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa and Phagmodrupa, a meandering lotus below the snow lion thrones with a donor monk making offerings in the lower register, with fragmentary images of deities including blue four-armed Mahakala, blue Heruka, white Aparajita, red Vajravarahi with blue boar head protruding at left, and two unidentified red deities at right

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 18344.
20 1/2 by 16 3/4 in. (52 by 40 cm)