PEINTURE REPRÉSENTANT YAMA D'UN MANDALA BHAISHAJYAGURU MONTRÉE EN BANNIÈRE À DÉCOR BRODÉE DE SOIE ET DE FILS D'ORDYNASTIE MING, ÉPOQUE YONGLE (1403-1424)Distemper on cloth, with embroidered gold and silk mounts; verso with red ink Tibetan inscriptionsprising an 'om ah hum' incantation, the 'ye dharma hetu...' Buddhist creed, and the 'om supratishta...' consecration mantra.Image: 15.7 x 13.3 cm (6 1/8 x 5 1/4 in.);With Silks: 43 x 16 cm (17 x 6 1/4 in.)Provenance: A SILK AND GOLD THREAD EMBROIDERED BANNER WITH A PAINTING OF YAMA FROM A BHAISHAJYAGURU MANDALA MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD (1403-1424)明 永樂（1403-1424年）藍緞繡金線掛幅 繪閻魔像 出自藥師佛曼荼羅These three paintings (lots 112, 113 & 114) are part of a set illustrating the fifty-one deity mandala of Bhaishajyaguru. Emanating from the preparatory classification of rituals (Kriya tantra), Bhaishajyaguru is the Medicine Buddha popularly invoked by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners for the purification of spiritual sicknesses and the promotion of health. In iconographic configurations, his mandala is joined by Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and worldly deities. The following images constitute the latter group as the Guardians of the Ten Directions, who symbolize the all-epassing power to repel evil and bestow wealth to devotees.The first of these images is Yama (lot 112), who is identified both by his blueplexion and the buffalo he rides as his animal mount (vahana). Yama is the ancient Indian god of death, and in Tibetan Buddhism, he serves as the guardian of the Southern direction. The second image represents Varuna (lot 113), the god of water and guardian of the Western direction grappling a crimson snake lasso in his hands. He sports a set of green and golden armor asserting his prowess as a warrior, while the minister's cap atop his head conveys his keen wisdom and judgment. The third image depicts Vayu Deva (lot 114), the god of the wind who watches over the Northwestern direction and clutches a golden scepter (danda). Only five other paintings from this rare set are known thus far, including two banners of the deities Agni and Anila in the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (C2004.4.1 & C2004.4.2; HAR 65270 & 65272), and three banners of bodhisattvas and the Indian god Brahma in a private collection (HAR 59676, 59677 & 59678), all of which share matching silk mounts and scenicpositions.These works exemplify some of the best achievements of Chinese painted embroidery during the Yongle period (1403-24) of the early Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Certain elements, such as the five-leaf crown adorning Yama's head and the scalloped edges of the lotus petals follow in the traditions of Nepali-Tibetan artists. However, the condensed treatment of the silk scrollwork below the figures, the ruyi-shaped clouds seen on the figures' clothing, floral decorations, jeweled throne backs with painted outlines in gold, and lotus pillars are virtually identical in style with contempora