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Lot Essay
This thangka depicts the Buddhist wealth deity, Jambhala. Jambhala is often confused with the Hindu god Kubera, or the Buddhist Guardian King, Vaishravana, as his unusual appearance descends from ancient Indian yaksha figures. In visual iconography, the Hindu god Kubera, also a wealth deity, and Jambhala are essentially identical, while Vaishravana can be easily distinguished by the presence of armor, among other things. In many representations of Kubera, Vaishravana, and Jambhala (although not in the case of the present figure), the mongoose that the deity clutches spews jewels, exemplifying the wealth-granting powers of all three deities.
Another similar small thangka of the same date, but without lanca characters in the lower register, is in The Cleveland Museum of Art and is cited by C.Y. Watt and Anne C. Wardwell, in When Silk was Gold, Central Asian and Chinese Textiles, New York, 1997, pp. 207-9, no. 63. The authors state that at least ten other small thangka from five sets are known, which are all nearly identical but differ slightly in the representation of the clouds around the sacred parasol in the upper register, in the figure in the center register, and in use of letters or symbols in the lower register.
This thangka is likely from the same set as two thangka in the National Museum of India, New Delhi (Himalayan Art Resource item nos. 64606 and 64606). The embroidery and representation of elements in the three registers appears to be identical. Another set of three similar thangka depicting deities of the Medicine Buddha mandhala sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015. This set is of the type that is slightly different than the present textile, primarily in the representation of the clouds in the upper register.
Another similar small thangka of the same date, but without lanca characters in the lower register, is in The Cleveland Museum of Art and is cited by C.Y. Watt and Anne C. Wardwell, in When Silk was Gold, Central Asian and Chinese Textiles, New York, 1997, pp. 207-9, no. 63. The authors state that at least ten other small thangka from five sets are known, which are all nearly identical but differ slightly in the representation of the clouds around the sacred parasol in the upper register, in the figure in the center register, and in use of letters or symbols in the lower register.
This thangka is likely from the same set as two thangka in the National Museum of India, New Delhi (Himalayan Art Resource item nos. 64606 and 64606). The embroidery and representation of elements in the three registers appears to be identical. Another set of three similar thangka depicting deities of the Medicine Buddha mandhala sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015. This set is of the type that is slightly different than the present textile, primarily in the representation of the clouds in the upper register.