Tibet, late 19th to early 20th c. CE. A hand-painted thangka depicting the Palden Lhamo, the fierce tantric goddess of Vajrayana Buddhism; the wrathful deity generally regarded as the primary protectress of Tibet. She is the sole female among the "Eight Guardians of the Law" and is typically depicted in a deep blue color with red hair that signifies her wrathful state riding side-saddle on a mule as she crosses a sea of blood, as we see in this example. Size: mounting measures 43" L x 22.25" W (109.2 cm x 56.5 cm); painting measures 19.5" L x 15" W (49.5 cm x 38.1 cm)

Some further notes regarding the iconography: Residing in the sky above and surrounding Palden Lhamo are typically many guardians of wisdom and enlightenment. These typically include Buddhas, great Lamas, deities of compassion, and disciples. In this case, there are several royal queen figures riding on animals through rings of fire. Notice also that the mule Palden Lhamo rides has an eye on its left rump. This is where Palden Lhamo's irate husband's arrow hit it after she killed her son (who was being raised to be the one to put an end to Buddhism) and used his skin as a saddle blanket. As is characteristic of traditional depictions, Palden Lhamo has three eyes and is shown drinking blood from a human skull. Palden Lhamo is the Buddhist version of the Hindu goddess Kali, protector of Lhasa, the Dalai Lama, and the Panchen Lama. Her Sanskrit name is Shri Devi, and she is the consort of Mahakala.

A nice example that has aged gracefully with some expected darkening. The piece has two gold-hued silk dust covers with attractive geometric patterns that are sewn to the mounting, as well as a fine red cord around the outer edge of the mounting, and a wooden dowel through the lower end.



Provenance: Ex-Bricker Collection; acquired from an American auction house six years ago; it had been in an American collection for six decades.

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#119210

Painting does not lay perfectly flat, from being rolled. There is tape on the back side in a few places, a small crack in the canvas under Palden Lhamo's chin, some horizontal rubbing away of some pigment from being rolled up, and a strong bleed through of the image on the backside. There is also Tibetan script in red ink on the back side. Upper wooden dowel is missing. Patterns on dust covers have faded a bit with age.