A VISHNU MANDALA


NEPAL, DATED 1685 CEDated by inscription, "Samvat 806".Himalayan Art Resources item no.61806 135 x 104 cm (53 x 41 in.)
|Commissioned by a high-caste Hindu family, the painting depicts a vast, discernible host of deities and historical figures in rich colors. The central subject is Ananta Narayana, a form of Vishnu backed by the seven heads of the serpent King Ananta, referring to the creation myth wherein Vishnu dreams the universe (thus also, this mandala) into existence. He is flanked by his wife Lakshmi and his mount Garuda. The center is then surrounded by three rings of multi-colored lotus petals. Every petal bears a different form of Vishnu. Petals in the outermost ring show forms of Vishnu coupled with Lakshmi. Many Hindu and Buddhist deities are then in the surrounding square. Lastly, the two registers at the top show the ten avatars of Vishnu, including Buddha.   Before the bottom register, a long Sanskrit inscription describes the painting's consecration and identifies the priest, who is also the donor of this painting:   "May it be auspicious. Greeting to Ananta Narayayaṇa. In the year of 806 of the Nepal Era (1685 CE), on the auspicious day of Viṣṇu [the 14th day of the bright half of the Bhadra month (August/September)], Brahmin Jayanta Raja performed the fire sacrifice in order to please Ananta Narayaṇa and initiated the vrata ritual on Sunday.O compassionate god, [you] conquered the powerful hostile demon Kesa and protected the people terrified by [the demon]. [You are] the personification of the space, fire, air, earth and water. [You are] indeed very handsome and kind to the poor. Your greenish dark body is adorned with beautiful petals of the durva grass. Your forehead is smeared with beautiful bright yellow pigment (golocana). O lotus-eyed god, I seek refuge with you." Within the bottom register, Nepal's royal family joins the family commissioning this painting. Each member identified by the inscription, the Rajopadhyaya family perform the consecration ceremony on the left, while the king of Bhaktapur, Jayajitamitra Malla (r.1673-96), joins on the right with his brother, Jayogra Malla, and his son and successor Bhupatindra Malla (r. 1696-1722).   A related Vishnu painting, dated just four years earlier (1681), show King Jayajitamitra Malla and his family in a similar manner, but as the donors of the painting (see Pal, Art of Nepal, Los Angeles, 1985, p.73, no.P26).   Bonhams is grateful to Dr. Gautama Vajracharya for his assistance in preparation of this lot. 毗濕奴壇城唐卡 尼泊爾，1685年 題記中寫有開光年份：「尼瓦曆806年」。喜馬拉雅藝術資源網61806號 畫心：135 x 104 釐米（53 x 41 英吋）600,000-800,000港元 此幅博巴顏色艷麗，畫工精細，描繪了諸多尊勝及歷史人物，為一高種姓印度教家庭訂製供養。博巴主尊為毗濕奴的化身阿難陀·那羅延天，其背靠七頭龍蛇王阿難陀，此形象表現了毗濕奴把夢中所造宇宙變為現實的神話傳說。那羅延天左右各有其妻子吉祥天女和坐騎大鵬金翅鳥相伴。主尊外繞三圈多彩蓮瓣，每一瓣上呈現毗濕奴的不同形象，其中最外圈花瓣中更刻劃了毗濕奴及吉祥天女雙身像。蓮花結構外部細緻地描繪了諸多印度教及佛教尊勝。畫面上方兩橫條內展現了毗濕奴的十個化身，其中包括佛陀，即毗濕奴的第九化身。 畫面下方一段梵文題記記載了此幅博巴的開光祈願文，並提到主持儀式的婆羅門（祭司）同時也是這幅畫作的供養人。 「祈願吉祥，恭迎阿難陀·那羅延天。尼瓦曆806年（公元1685年），於此殊勝毗濕奴日［巴德拉月第14天（8至9月）］，婆羅門賈耶納·拉納以火供頂禮阿難陀·那羅延天，開啟太陽日禁戒儀式。慈悲的神，戰勝邪魔護佑眾生。宇宙、水火、空氣、土壤的化身，您面容圓滿美好，善待一切窮苦大眾。 身呈深綠色，項掛草花環，額上抹黃粉。蓮花眼之神，我祈願皈依於您。」 畫面最下方描繪了尼泊爾王室成員與供養人家庭的肖像，根據題記可逐一辨認：畫面左側正在舉行開光儀式的是拉佐帕德雅雅家族; 畫面右側，巴克塔普爾國王加亞吉塔密特拉‧馬拉（1673-96），他的兄弟佳亞格拉·馬拉，以及國王的兒子即王位繼承人布帕亭德拉·馬拉（1695-1722）正虔誠敬拜。 帕爾博士在其著作《尼泊爾藝術》中收綠了一幅創作於1681年的由皇室供養的毗濕奴博巴，與本作品風格十分相似，其中加亞吉塔密特拉‧馬拉國王及其他皇室成員的肖像也出現於畫中，外貌儀態與此幅非常相似（參見Pal, 《Art of Nepal》，洛杉磯，1985年，頁73，圖P26）。 謹在此特別鳴謝 Guatama Vajracharya 博士協助解讀畫中題記。