Tibet, Atisha (4)

15th century, Tibet, Atisha, painted wood?, photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on virginia.edu, at the Jowo Shrine in the Gyantse Kumbum (Tibet).

The famous Indian scholar, founder of the Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism, is flanked by  Dromtonpa Gyalwa’i Jungne, a lay master from Tolung (see Treasury of Lives ) and Naktso Lotsawa Tsultrim Gyelwa, a translator from Amdo (see Treasury of Lives )

Undated (circa 15th century?), Tibet, Atisha, gilt metal, private collection, photo on HAR

Another triad with Dromtonpa Gyalwa’i Jungne seated on Atisha’s right. We are told on the annotated image on the above link that the man in monkish garb on the other side is Potowa Rinchen Sal/Sel (see Treasury of Lives ).

Circa 17th century, Atisha (Dipankara Shrijnana), Tibet, gilt copper, 20 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 1081 pl. 280D, at the Rwa sgreng or Ra sgreng monastery (the first monastery of the Kadam order) in the Rong chu Valley (Tibet).

Atisha is nearly always shown seated with his legs locked, his hands making the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture, his head covered with a pandita hat.

17th century, Tibet, Atisha, gilt metal, private collection, item nº 32236 on Himalayan Art Resources

He often has a vase placed on a lotus by his side (and sometimes a bell on the other side). The above is seated on a single lotus atop a lion throne with a visvajra at the front. His vest is decorated with a stippled lotus motif partly repeated between an incised geometrical pattern on the border of his garment

(See also the biographical notes regarding Atisha on Treasury of Lives )

Tibet, various Indian masters (18)

16th century, Tibet, Virupa, bronze with pigment, 10,1 cm, private collection, Purity and Enlightenment lot 8, 3rd October 2023, Hollywood Galleries

Seated in the royal ease position on a tiger or leopard skin, his raised knee held in place with a meditation strap, his hair gathered in a prominent topknot, Virupa points towards the Sun with his right hand and holds a skull cup in the other. He is adorned with spiral-shaped bone earrings, a necklace, bracelets, and a cross-belt.

Early 18th century, Tibet, Virupa, gilt bronze, 13,7 cm, private collection, Auction 819 China 1, lot 56, Nagel

This work depicts him with the left hand pointing towards the sun and the other holding a skull cup. He is seated on an antelope skin (see more pictures on the above link) atop an unusual double-lotus base, dressed in a long dhoti and a silk shawl, adorned with a floral tiara, some jewellery, and a cross-belt with a large flower at the front (the flowers worn by mahasiddhas are an anti-caste symbol). Part of his hair is gathered in a Chinese-style top knot and the rest cascades over his shoulders.

15th century, Tibet, Padampa Sangye, painted clay (on a wooden armature), size not given, photo by Dudul Dorjay, 2011, on virginia.edu, at the Shije shrine in the Kumbum, Gyantse (Tibet).

Also known as Dampa Sangye, Kamalasila, Black Acarya, Little Black Indian, Mipan Gonpo, Dampa Gyagar, he is depicted here in the ‘pacification posture’, with his knees raised and his hands making the gesture of debate at heart level.

16th century, Tibet, Mahasiddha Tilopa, bronze, 5,6 cm, Nyingjei Lam Collection, photo on Myriad Forms, Hollywood Galleries

Tilopa usually has a fish in one hand and sometimes a skull cup in the other.

Tibet, various male figures (3)

7th century, Nepalese artist in Tibet, ‘Male teacher instructing an antelope, a crow, a cobra, a pigeon in a rocky landscape’, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume One, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p. 429 pl. 135G, doorway to the Padmasambhava Chapel of the Jokhang in Lhasa (Tibet).

7th century, Nepalese artist in Tibet, ‘Male teacher flanked by two female devotees in a rocky landscape’, as before (p. 430 pl. 135H).

7th century, Nepalese artist in Tibet, ‘Male teacher with a male devotee in a rocky landscape’, photo as before (p. 430 pl. 135I).

15th century, Tibet (Tibetan or Indian teacher, painted clay on a wooden armature), photo on Alex B, Gyantse stupa (Tibet).

Undated, Tibet (?), lama Nyingmapa, wood with cold gold, number HI-07 at the Museo d’Arte Orientale in Turin (Italy).

Obviously a hierarch, this man in sumptuous monastic garments holds a vajra sceptre and a vajra bell. His lotus hat is decorated with a crescent moon and a sun disc at the front, and topped with a half-vajra finial.

Tibet, various Indian masters (18)

15th century, Tibet, Padampa Sangye, bronze, 10,8 cm, The Moke Mokotoff Collection lot 315, 13th September 2023, Christie’s

Despite the Tibetan name under which he is mostly known, Padampa Sangye was a mahasiddha, i.e. an Indian ‘Great Master’ (see biographical notes on Treasury of Lives ). We have seen at least four different ways of depicting him, one of them is with his right hand making the gesture of salute and his left hand clutching an object, in this case a manuscript.

16th-18th century, Tibet, Padampa Sengge, clay, 5,5 cm, private collection, photo on Astamangala

The same yogi in the ‘pacification posture’, with both knees raised and both hands held before his heart in the gesture of debate (vitarka mudra).

17th century, Tibet, Avadhutipa, gilt bronze (inlaid with stones now missing), 14 cm, The Moke Mokotoff Collection as before, lot 324, Christie’s

Avadhutipa, a non-Buddhist Indian king converted by Damarupa, is always part of a set of various characters and deities. He sits in a relaxed manner, often leaning on his left hand and with his right arm across the raised knee, which is the opposite here (as an Avadhutipa seen on Sotheby’s and another at the Rubin Museum of Art).

Mahasiddhas often have a manuscript inside their topknot. The above wears his hair gathered on one side, plaited and holding a cylindrical object.

Undated, Tibet, Naropa, (copper alloy), private collection, photo on HAR

When depicted with a ‘mahasiddha appearance’ (we have seen him portrayed as Abhayakirti, abbot of Nalanda), Naropa usually sits on an antelope skin and holds a human hide across his back, or he has a skull cup filled with nectar in his left hand and makes the gesture to bestow refuge with the other. This work depicts him with a skull cup in the right hand and making the gesture to ward off evil (karana mudra) with the other. He is adorned with a five-skull crown, bone jewellery, and has a meditation strap around his right knee.

16th century, Tibet, Dombi Heruka, (copper alloy), private collection, photo on HAR

This Indian adept is easily identified by the tiger he rides. He may have a drum or a serpentine lasso in his right hand and holds a skull cup in the other.

Tibet, Jnanatapa

14th century, Tibet, Jnanatapa, gilt copper alloy with silver inlay, 15,5 cm, The Claude de Marteau Collection Part III, lot 11, photo and details by Jing Wen on Bonhams (Paris).

This is the first sculpture of Jnanatapa that we come across, and the only one known according to Bonhams. The Indian adept holds a box topped with a lion in his left hand and holds a pill in the other (as can be seen thanks to the close-up application on HAR website – which gives a later date for it). Compare with a painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (details about which can be found on asianart.com ).

Tibet, Atisha (3)

1450-1550, Tibet, Atisha, gilt copper, 11,6 cm, inventory nº ABS 212 at the Fondation Alain Bordier in Gruyères (Switzerland).

The Indian master and monk Atisha Dipankara/Dimpankara (Born in Bengal, 982- died in Tibet, 1052 or 1054 depending on the source) is said to have travelled several times to Tibet, where he founded the Kadampa sect and wrote many  texts (see biographical notes on Treasury of Lives ). He is usually depicted with a pointed or truncated hat, seated in the vajra position, his hands making the ‘turning the wheel of dharma‘ gesture (or, on rare occasions, the right hand making the gesture of generosity and the left one the gesture of debate). He may be flanked by flowers that support a pot with a lid and a bell with a crescent moon and sun disc handle (or a kadam-style stupa in Nepal). The above appears to have Manjushri’s attributes, i.e. the hilt of a sword and a manuscript (?). There is a visvajra symbol at the front of his hat.

16th century, Tibet, Atisha, bronze and red pigment, 19 cm, Images of Transcendence, lot 135, 23rd March 1999, Christie’s.

Tibet, various Indian masters (17)

13th-14th century, Tibet, mahasiddha, stone, 76 cm, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder (Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications, Hong Kong, p.908 pl. 214A), Potala Collection, Lima Lakhang, inventory nº 1537, Lhasa (Tibet).

We have seen various sculptures of Mahasiddha Dampa Sangye with his right hand raised above his head, including one where he holds a bag or a pouch (see HAR ). Also known as Padampa Sanggye, Dampa Gyagar, Mipan Gonpo (Tibetan) and Kamalasila, Kala Acarya (sanskrit), he is always depicted with matted hair and a wide gaze.

17th-18th century, Tibet, Mahasiddha Tilopa (‘Naropa’ on HAR ), copper alloy, 11 cm, private collection, photo on Bonhams (Paris).

Tilopa normally holds a fish in one hand, Naropa often has a human hide on his back; the above holds a skull cup in his right hand and makes a gesture to ward off evil with the other, in which there may have been a fish. He sits on an antelope skin atop a lotus base, his left leg pendent, the right one folded, a meditation strap incised with a large rice grain pattern passing under the knee. His hair is drawn in a topknot and he is adorned with a skull crown, bone jewellery, a cross-belt, a scarf. There is an interesting painting of the two mahasiddhas side by side on Himalayan Art Resources

Circa 13th century, Tibet or Yuan China, Mahasiddha Ghantapa/Vajraghanta, stone, 15 cm, Nepalese artist, photo: courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder as above, p. 906 pl. 213A, Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang, inventory nº 1994, Lhasa (Tibet).

Reminiscent of the Dali Kingdom style, this image depicts Ghantapa with a very athletic body, his head partly covered with a scarf, adorned with a large earring or earplug. This mahasiddha usually holds a vajra-handled bell in each hand.

Tibet, Mahasiddha Virupa (15)

13th century, Tibet, Virupa, stone with cold gold and pigments, 14,7 cm, Nepalese artist, photo courtesy of Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet Volume Two, Visual Dharma Publications (Hong Kong), p.907 pl. 213E, Potala Collection inventory nº 1578, Lima Lakhang, Lhasa (Tibet).

Mahasiddha Virupa seated with both feet on the base, a meditation belt holding his left knee, atop a cushion covered with foliage instead of the usual antelope skin. Other noteworthy features are his wrathful countenance and the pot next to him. This Indian adept sometimes has a long-life vase by his side but the above has a drinking vessel covered with a cloth, as explained by Ulrich von Schroeder. He leans on his right arm and raises the other ‘to stop the course of the Sun’.

13th century, Nepalese work in Tibet or Yuan China, Mahasiddha Virupa, stone with cold gold and pigments, 9,1 cm, photo as before (p. 909 pl. 214D), Potala Collection, Lima Lhakhang, inventory nº 1556, Lhasa (Tibet).

On this variant he raises the right arm and holds a skull cup in his left hand, before his heart, his elbow resting on something made of cloth with an incised pattern. He is smiling, yet is hair has been dyed red, a colour usually seen on wrathful figures. 

16th century, Tibet, Virupa, brass with silver inlay, cold gold and pigment, photo by E.T. Basilia, inventory nº 5138 l , at the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow (Russia).

Here, the raised arm rests on a long-life vase topped with a skull cup filled with what looks like round jewels (?), and a ritual staff. He is adorned with flowers (an anti-caste symbol), spiral-shaped bone earrings, bone jewellery, and a cross belt.

Circa 16th century, Tibet, Virupa, clay tsa-tsa, 4,8 cm, private collection, photo on Astamangala

Tibet, Mahasiddha Virupa in Gyantse

Undated, Virupa, Tibet, (painted clay on a wooden armature?), photo on HAR at the Lamdre Lakhang in Gyantse (Tibet). 

Virupa, ‘the dakini master’, making the teaching gesture with his hands. He wears earplugs and other bone ornaments. We saw a 15th century Tibetan Damarupa from the same set on HAR

Undated, Tibet, Virupa, (painted clay on a wooden armature?) photo on HAR , at the Gyantse Kumbum (Tibet).

Tibet, mahasiddhas – unidentified (10)

Unlabelled (16th century or earlier?, Tibet, mahasiddha, copper alloy), photo on HAR , at the Museum der Kulturen in Basel (Switzerland).

Obviously made in the same workshop as a statue of Naropa seen on HAR (dated 1500-1599), this one depicts a mahasiddha standing on an antelope skin spread over the lotus pedestal, his left hand in the boon-granting gesture, the right one holding a curved object with rounded ends, probably a pestle.

17th century, Tibet, nagaraja (or mahasiddha?), gilt bronze, private collection, Fine Chinese Works of Art lot 254, November 2017, Cambiaste.Update 12/06/22: originally published in the ‘animals and mythical creatures’ section.

Like most naga kings (and some forms of Achala), this figure with a thin moustache and goatee is half kneeling and half crouching but he wears an antelope skin around his waist, a cross-belt, and he has no naga hood. There is a vajra sceptre in his right hand and a bell in the other, which recalls mahasiddha Ghantapa, who is normally seated.