Vintage Tibetan Buddhist Thangka Mandala on Silk Mounting

Details

Description

Vintage Tibetan Buddhist Thangka Mandala (painting on fabric), mounted with handwoven silk brocade border.

Dimensions
image: approx 23"h, 17.75"w
overall: … Read more Vintage Tibetan Buddhist Thangka Mandala (painting on fabric), mounted with handwoven silk brocade border.

Dimensions
image: approx 23"h, 17.75"w
overall: approx 39"h, 24.25"w

Acquired at an auction in Sept 2020.
Provenance: From the estate of Ali A. Abssi (1934-2020) and Florence Hall Abssi (1919-2014), founders of the Ishtar Gate Gallery in the prestigious Houston Galleria. They were world travelers and dealers of eclectic art, jewelry, antiquities, and gems. Their friends, acquaintances, and customers included people from all continents, including sheiks, prime ministers, royals, business leaders, politicians, and oil magnates. Florence was also a published author.


Thangka- Traditionally, thangka paintings are not only valued for their aesthetic beauty, but primarily for their use as aids in meditational practices. Practitioners use thangkas to develop a clear visualization of a particular deity, strengthening their concentration, and forging a link between themselves and the deity. Historically, thangkas were also used as teaching tools to convey the lives of various masters. A teacher or lama would travel around giving talks on dharma, carrying with him large thangka scrolls to illustrate his stories.
The sacred art of thangka painting dates back to the 7th century. Originating in Nepal, it evolved into several schools of painting. The deities shown in thangka paintings are usually depictions of visions that appeared to great spiritual masters at moments of realization, which were then recorded and incorporated into Buddhist scripture. The proportions are considered sacred as not only are they exact representations of Buddhist deities, but also the visual expression of spiritual realizations that occurred at the time of a vision. Thangka painting is thus a two-dimensional medium illustrating a multi-dimensional spiritual reality. Practitioners use thangkas as a sort of road map to guide them to the original insight of the master. This map must be accurate and it is the responsibility of the artist to make sure it is so in order for a thangka to be considered genuine, or to be useful as a support for Buddhist practice, guiding one to the proper place. See less