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Directory: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Indian Subcontinent: Himalayas: Pre 1920: Item # 1410289

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Dmitry Levit Asian Art
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3 Highland Park
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-875-8154

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Very unusual small 1910s Tibetan thangka painted on a buffalo horn plaque with mineral pigments and depicting Bhavachakra - a symbolic representation of samsara - the cycle of repeated birth, mundane existence and dying again without the beginning or the end. The pig, rooster and snake in the hub of the wheel represent “the three poisons” - ignorance, attachment and anger. The layer around the hub represents the six realms of samsara: three good realms (gods, demi-gods and humans) and three evil realms (animals, ghosts and sufferers in hell). The wheel is being held by a fearsome figure who represents impermanence and is interpreted as being Mara (the demon who tried to tempt the Buddha), or as Yama, the Lord of Death. He is wearing a crown with skulls and a tiger pelt skirt and there are a bowl with skull feet, a Wheel of the Law and a pile of skulls in front of him. Two Bodhisattvas are shown above. Very nicely painted, some buckling of the corners of the plaque, great piece for a home altar. Comes from old Washington DC collection. Size 4 3/4 x 3 1/8 inches.