Antique Tibetan Thangka, 19th c., painting on cloth, silk brocade surround. Size: 29" x 19.5", 74 x 50 cm (image); 47" x 35", 119 x 89 cm (overall). This thangka is a depiction of Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi in sexual embrace. Chakrasamvara is recognized by his four faces--yellow, dark blue, red, and white--each with a circular third eye in the forehead. He has many arms as he carries ritual objects, including a skull cup, a drum, a bell, and the head of the Hindu god Brahma. Like all male deities shown in union, Chakrasamvara's attributes signify the tools one uses on the path to enlightenment; while the female Vajravarahi represents the wisdom necessary to progress along that path. Portraying the two beings in sexual union is a depiction of the union of wisdom and compassion. Together they stand on prostrate figures representative of those released from ego, a sense of self-involvement that prevents progress toward enlightenment. This thangka, or Buddhist painting on cloth that can be rolled up for travel or storage and unrolled and hung for use, is painted in the Tibetan style and dates to the 19th century. Certain elements of the work, such as the peonies depicted in the top register, demonstrate the artist was consciously alluding to the eastern Tibetan style, that which is influenced by Chinese art.