Skip to main content
A SILK APPLIQUÉD THANGKA OF RATNASAMBHAVA CENTRAL TIBET, 16TH CENTURY image 1
A SILK APPLIQUÉD THANGKA OF RATNASAMBHAVA CENTRAL TIBET, 16TH CENTURY image 2
A SILK APPLIQUÉD THANGKA OF RATNASAMBHAVA CENTRAL TIBET, 16TH CENTURY image 3
A SILK APPLIQUÉD THANGKA OF RATNASAMBHAVA CENTRAL TIBET, 16TH CENTURY image 4
Premium Lot - Online Bidding Will Not Be Available
Lot 127

A SILK APPLIQUÉD THANGKA OF RATNASAMBHAVA
CENTRAL TIBET, 16TH CENTURY

29 November 2016, 18:00 HKT
Hong Kong, Six Pacific Place

HK$8,000,000 - HK$12,000,000

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

A SILK APPLIQUÉD THANGKA OF RATNASAMBHAVA

CENTRAL TIBET, 16TH CENTURY
Himalayan Art Resources item no.2131
95 x 65 cm (37 3/8 x 24 1/4 in.)
With silk mount: 188 x 94 cm (74 x 37 in.)

Footnotes

This elegant image of Ratnasambhava belongs to a set of silk appliquéd thangkas depicting the Five Wisdom Buddhas. Another from the same set, of Vairocana, is in the Navin Kumar Collection, published in Pal, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure, Chicago, 2003, p.252, no.156. Both thangkas are painstakingly created by sewing pieces of brocade, satin, and velvet onto a cotton ground, with couched cords accentuating the outlines.

Compared to painted images, textile thangkas arguably carried more prestige within the culture, possibly due to the rarity of the materials and the difficulty in mastering the techniques. As Reynolds explains:

"It's kind of counterintuitive to the Western idea where painting and sculpture is high art and something made out of textile is craft. But in the Tibetan sense, an appliquéd thangka is the most wonderful, highest thing that you can create."
(Reynolds, "Buddhist Silk Textiles", in Chinese and Central Asian Textiles: Selected Articles from Orientations 1983-1997, Hong Kong, 1997, pp.188–99).

With more than four thousand years of silk-making history, China provided the source and inspiration for Tibetan textile thangkas. Pictorial embroideries, tapestries, and brocades were presented as imperial gifts by the Ming court to Tibetan religious and political leaders. It is most likely also that the silk materials used in the present lot were originally imported from China, either as imperial tribute or commercial trade. However, Tibetans did not simply copy Chinese formulas, but employed their indigenous technique that had already been widely used to decorate tents and ritual costumes – that of appliqué.

The fabrics and style of the present textile indicate a 16th-century origin. Judging by the impeccable quality, the lavish use of plush materials, and the ingenious interplay of diverse tones the set was clearly a costly and significant commission. Furthermore, the complex patterns of the nimbus and aureole, which draw from contrasting brocades, are off-set by the subtle blue damask background and superbly executed lotus flowers in each corner, showcasing superb taste throughout. The harmonious composition heightens the peaceful and compassionate nature of Ratnasambhava Buddha, who is associated with the endeavor to conquer one's greed or pride.

Two closely related examples were sold at Christie's, Hong Kong, 1 December 2009, lot 1961, and 1 December 2010, lot 3063.

Provenance
Private New York Collection


寶生佛堆繡唐卡
西藏中部,十六世紀

喜馬拉雅藝術資源網2131號
95 x 65釐米(37 3/8 x 24 1/4英寸)
裝裱: 188 x 94釐米(74 x 37英寸)


8,000,000-12,000,000 港元

此幅精美的寶生佛唐卡屬於一組五方佛堆繡唐卡,組中另一幅大日如來唐卡由Navin Kumar收藏,出版於Pal, Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure,芝加哥,2003年,頁252,圖156。其制作工序繁瑣,需將多片各式織錦、綢緞、絲絨縫於棉布繡地之上,再以縫繡貼線突出圖案輪廓。

相比繪畫唐卡而言,在西藏文化中織物唐卡更為尊貴,或因其材料之珍貴與工藝之繁復而至。正如Reynolds解釋到:

"這點可能有違西方的直覺,因為在西方觀念中繪畫與雕塑是高等藝術,而織物則僅僅是工藝品。然而在西藏,堆繡唐卡被視為最美妙而高貴的藝術創造。"
(參見Reynolds,"Buddhist Silk Textiles",收錄於Chinese and Central Asian Textiles: Selected Articles from Orientations 1983-1997,香港,1997年,頁188–199)

擁有四千多年制絲史的中國既為西藏的織物唐卡帶來了靈感,亦為其提供了原料。明朝宮廷賞賜於西藏宗教與政治領袖大量繪畫性的刺繡、掛毯及織錦。同時,創作此拍品所使用的絲綢材料亦可能來自中原,經由宮廷賞賜或商業貿易的渠道進入西藏。然而,西藏藝術家並沒有簡單地對中原織物加以復制,而是融入了他們早已廣泛用於裝飾帳篷及宗教服飾 的本土特色工藝——堆繡。

此幅唐卡的用料與風格將其斷代為十六世紀。其工藝高超、用料奢華 、色彩搭配獨具匠心,儼然為地位尊貴的施主而作。佛祖的頭光與背光使用了色彩對比鮮明且紋飾復雜的錦緞,進而由淡雅的藍色緞地與兩旁精致的蓮花襯托,展現了卓越的審美品位。供奉寶生佛有助戒除貪念,此幅唐卡富於和諧之美,極好地襯托了佛祖寂靜慈悲之本性。

另兩幅風格相似的堆繡唐卡分別於2009年12月1日與2010年12月1日在香港佳士得售出(拍品1961號與3063號)。

來源
紐約私人收藏

Additional information

Bid now on these items