A THANGKA OF PALDEN LHAMO


TIBET OR MONGOLIA, 19TH CENTURYDistemper on cloth.Himalayan Art Resources item no.61951 Image: 41 5/8 x 29 3/4 in. (105.7 x 75.5 cm);With margins: 42 3/4 x 30 7/8 in. (108.5 x 78.5 cm)
|西藏或蒙古 十九世紀 吉祥天母唐卡The vivid thangka depicts Tibet's protector, Palden Lhamo, encircled by her entourage, riding her mule through a sea of blood. Palden Lhamo's name means 'Glorious Goddess'. A myth surrounding this goddess tells of how, moved by compassion for sentient beings, she threatened to kill her own son if her husband would not cease from performing human sacrifices. Forced to carry out her ultimatum, she used her son's flayed skin as a saddle whilst fleeing the kingdom. Abounding with energy and movement and, this painting's dramatic composition is reflected in 18th-/19th-century thangkas of the same subject sold at Bonhams, Sydney, 22 June 2014, lot 152 and Bonhams, New York, 17 September 2014, lot 68.