A THANGKA OF DHARMATALA, VAISHRAVANA, AND VIRUPAKSHA

QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY
Distemper on cloth.
Himalayan Art Resources item no.24436
27 1/2 x 18 1/8 in. (70 x 46 cm)

清 十八世紀 達摩多羅尊者、北方多聞天王及西方廣目天王唐卡

This vibrant painting belongs to a set of seven thangkas depicting Shakyamuni, the Eighteen Arhats (or Luohan), and the four Guardian Kings. In the upper right of the composition, fair-skinned Dharmatala sits under an elaborate parasol decorated with white tiger skin, dressed in luxurious, gold-patterned layman's robes. He holds a fly whisk in one hand and a waterpot in the other, while his companion tiger rests comfortably on his stomach, front paws crossed. In Tibet, Dharmatala is considered an attendant to the Sixteen Arhats (along with Hvashang), while in China the two are included in the group of eighteen.

Standing prominently in the foreground, red-skinned Virupaksha, Guardian King of the West, holds a miniature stupa in his left hand and a serpent in his right. To his left, Vaishravana, Guardian of the North, looks at the viewer with an intense expression. Also worshipped as a wealth deity, Vaishravana holds a 'treasure mongoose' (nakula) who disgorges a pile of jewels at his feet. See a similar composition of Dharmatala and two Guardian Kings within a painting set preserved at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (HAR 54441).

Provenance:
Ex-Private French Collection