A THANGKA OF AKSHOBYA, VAJRA HERUKA AND WRATHFUL DEITIES OF BARDO EASTERN TIBET, 18TH CENTURY Distemper on cloth. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 66407 82 x 73 cm (32 1/4 x 28 3/4 in.) Footnotes: 藏東 十八世紀 阿閦佛與赫魯嘎及中陰忿怒尊唐卡 Provenance John and Karina Stewart Collection, since 2016 Bardo, the Tibetan term for the intermediate state between death and rebirth, is closely associated with the visionary experiences described in the Bardo Thodol ('Tibetan Book of the Dead'), in which the deceased encounters assemblies of peaceful and wrathful deities. This thangka belongs to a documented five-painting cycle illustrating the One Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities. Akshobhya, seated in union with his consort on an elaborate architectural throne, occupies the upper register, while the winged Vajra Heruka dominates the lower register, identifying the composition as a Bardo cycle. The principal deities are surrounded by circular medallions containing attendant deities, linked by billowing cloud bands that create a continuous celestial setting. Below, the hell realms are vividly rendered with Yama seated in judgement holding a mirror and staff, alongside rivers of blood, colored mountains of the afterlife, and demons administering karmic retribution. The hierarchical composition, circular deity groupings, crisp architectural forms, stylized clouds, and saturated mineral palette are characteristic of eastern Tibetan painting. Another thangka from the original set is preserved in the Rubin Museum of Art (P1999.17.3). Compare also an 18th-century eastern Tibetan painting sold at Christie's, New York, 23 March 2022, lot 407, for its closely related circular deity groupings and compositional structure. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing