A THANGKA OF TSONGKHAPA AND THE GELUGPA REFUGE TREE, 19TH CENTURY
Tibet. Distemper on cloth. Tsongkhapa is seated in dhyanasana on a lotus throne with a mandorla and halo behind him, holding an alms bowl in his lowered left hand, two lotuses coming to full bloom at his shoulder supporting the sword and sutra. Surrounded by a retinue of Buddhas, celestial beings, lineage holders, dakinis, wrathful protectors, and other figures, all within the framework of a tree growing from the water below.

Matted and framed behind glass.

Provenance: From a Hungarian private collection.
Condition: Overall very good condition with old wear, soiling, creasing, and minor losses. Possibly with minuscule touchups.

Dimensions: Image size 31.3 x 23.4 cm, Size incl. frame 44 x 36 cm

This thangka represents the field of accumulation of merit in which all of the teachers of a specific tradition, their teachings written in religious texts, deities that are the focus of practices in that tradition, and its protectors are visually arranged as one large gathering. Such depictions are meant for devotional practices and also represent the Three Jewels of the Buddhist Faith. This field is arranged around the central teacher Tsongkapa (1357-1419), the founding teacher of the Gelug tradition. He is surrounded by teachers, meditational deities, and protectors, shown below. The practitioner would identify with a monk depicted in the lower right, who was probably the donor for this painting.

Literature comparison: Compare a related thangka of Tsongkhapa and a refuge field, also dated to the 19th century, but of much larger size, in the collection of the Rubin Museum of Art, object number F1997.37.1

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related thangka (76.5 x 50 cm) in similarly well-preserved condition, at Bonhams London in The Jongen-Schleiper Collection of Fine Thangkas on 11 May 2017, lot 19, sold for GBP 22,500.


十九世紀宗喀巴上師皈依境圖
西藏。布面膠彩。畫面中心為格魯派的創始人宗喀巴大師，頭戴黃色桃形尖帽，面容俊逸且安詳，內著僧坎，外披袈裟，左手托缽，右手結法印，兩肩飾有經書和寶劍，寓意大師為文殊菩薩的化身。下身著寬鬆僧裙，雙腿結跏趺坐於蓮花座上。唐卡上方左右兩個圓形畫框內繪阿彌陀佛的極樂淨土和彌勒菩薩的兜率天淨土。中央上方和下方二組人物分別為“密乘”的主要傳承以及格魯派“主要信奉”的聖眾，包括諸佛、菩薩、護法、羅漢、空行母等。

玻璃裝框。

來源：匈牙利私人收藏。
品相：整體狀況極好，有舊時磨損、髒汙、摺痕和輕微缺損，輕微修補。

尺寸：畫面31.3 x 23.4 厘米，總44 x 36 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件形制和品相相近的唐卡 (76.5 x 50 厘米) ，見倫敦邦翰思The Jongen-Schleiper Collection of Fine Thangkas 2017年5月11日 lot 19, 售價GBP 22,500。