A THANGKA OF THE FIVE FOREMOST DEITIES (MO LHA) MONGOLIA, 18TH CENTURY Distemper and gold on cloth; with original silk mounts and veil. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 8819 Image: 13 1/8 x 10 3/8 in. (33.5 x 26.5 cm); With silks: 26 5/8 x20 7/8 in. (67.7 x 53 cm) Footnotes: 蒙古 十八世紀 五守舍神唐卡 Provenance New York art market, 1990s Private New Jersey Collection As noted by Jeff Watt (HAR set no. 560): 'According to the Bon religion these are the Five Gods of the Head (Tibetan: go wai lha nga) and born with each and every human being. They are located on the four sides of the head and above. It is believed that the Five Gods are born with and accompany each individual human on their life journey. They function as private Gods governing health, wealth, luck and good fortune for each person. This belief system is indigenous to Tibet, Mongolia and Central Asia and the Five Gods are tolerated in Buddhism and some small ritual offering texts can be found. The Bon religion presents a richer understanding of the Five Gods along with marriage ceremonies incorporating the Five as necessary elements. 'According to the 5th Dalai Lama it was Traba Ngonshe (1012-1090) and Guru Chowang (1212-1270) who first introduced the Five Personal Gods into a Buddhist context. In modern times it was the 5th Dalai Lama (1617-1682) who wrote a ritual text and further popularized the practice. The 4th Panchen Lama, Lobzang Tenapi Nyima (1782-1853), also wrote a liturgical text for the Five Personal Gods. The first known Sakya text was written by Dagchen Kunga Lodro (1729-1783) who clearly states that his writings are based on the text of the 5th Dalai Lama. He also mentions very clearly in the first few lines that the group of protection gods belong both to the Bon religion and then the Buddhist religion.' Closely related compositions of the same subject are in the Museum fur Kulteren, Basel, and the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (see Essen & Thingo, Die Gotter des Himalaya, 1989, Vol. 2, p. 204, no. II-425 and Mullin & Watt, Female Buddhas, 2002, pp. 198-199; HAR 435, respectively). For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing