A RARE THANGKA DEPICTING THE BUDDHA’S PARINIRVANA, TIBET, 18TH - 19TH CENTURY
At the center, Buddha reclines on a bed surrounded by a crowd of mourners lamenting his death. The Buddha’s expression is peaceful and serene, lying on his right side with his hand propping up his head, exposing the wheel of dharma engraved on his palm. Below the Buddha are two scenes depicting the arrival of the aged Buddha in Kushinagara, where he died. The upper right corner depicts the cremation of the deceased Buddha, and the upper left scene depicts the veneration of his ashes.


Provenance:
From an old private collection in Germany, where it was displayed as the centerpiece of the collection.

Condition:
Very good condition with little wear, light creasing, and minor soiling. The brocade mounting with minor discoloration and small tears.

Dimensions: Image size 70 x 44 cm, Size incl. brocade mounting 134.5 x 73.5 cm

Distemper and gold on cloth, with a silk brocade frame and mounted as a hanging scroll with metal openwork fittings.


The death of the Buddha
, also known as the Buddha’s Parinirvana referring to the Buddha’s enlightenment after death, has been depicted widely in Buddhist iconography and is accounted in the Mahaparinirvana sutra. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha died in Kushinagara, Northern India, with the traditional dates of Buddha's life from 566-486 BC. After his death, the Buddha’s body was cremated and distributed among his followers. The stupas that guarded his remains became important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists.


The Mahaparinirvaṇa sutra
is one of the most important Buddhist scriptures in China and Tibet, and it relates the events surrounding the Buddha’s death. The precise date of origin of this text is uncertain, but its early form may have developed in or by the second century CE. The original Sanskrit text is not extant except for a small number of fragments, but it survives in Chinese and Tibetan translation.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related Tibetan thangka depicting the death of Buddha, 67 x 49 cm, dated to the late 18th century, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 48.274. Compare a related thangka depicting the death of Buddha, in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, illustrated on Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 88902. Compare a related Tibetan thangka depicting the death of the Buddha, dated 19th-20th century, in the Oriental Museum, Durham University.




十八至十九世紀西藏釋迦牟尼涅槃圖唐卡


布面膠畫描金，錦緞裝幀，掛軸。釋迦牟尼八十歲時，自知陽壽將盡，便離開說法的王舍城，來到拘尸那城娑羅雙樹間，頭部向北，佛陀躺下，向右側偃臥，弟子們都守候在身邊，聆聽佛陀的最後教誨。世尊如是慈悲咐囑，而後寂然於娑羅雙樹下涅槃入滅。畫面中心，佛陀斜躺在床上，周圍是一群哀悼他去世的哀悼者。 佛陀面色平和安詳，右側臥，手托頭，露出掌心刻的法輪。 佛陀下方有兩幅場景，右上角描繪了佛陀火化的場景，左上角描繪了佛陀骨灰的供奉場景。


來源：
德國私人舊藏，是收藏中的重要藏品。

品相：
狀況極好，輕微磨損、摺痕和污垢。錦緞鑲邊有輕微變色和小撕裂。

尺寸：畫面70 x 44 厘米，總134.5 x 73.5 厘米


文獻比較:

比較一件相近的十八世紀末西藏佛陀涅槃圖唐卡，67 x 49 厘米，波士頓藝術博物館，館藏編號48.274。比較一件相近的西藏佛陀涅槃圖唐卡，收藏於聖塔芭芭拉藝術博物館，見Himalayan Art Resources，編號88902。比較一件相近的西藏十九至二十世紀西藏佛陀涅槃圖唐卡，收藏於杜倫大學東方博物館。