A THANGKA OF BUDDHA AMITABHA, TIBET, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

Distemper and gold on cloth. Seated in dhyanasana on a lotus cushion with his hands lowered in dhyana mudra and supporting an alms bowl, wearing loose-fitting layered patchwork robes, his face with a serene expression, backed by a blue radiating mandorla and green halo.

The central deity is flanked by the white-skinned Avalokiteshvara and the blue-skinned Vajrapani, surrounded by monks kneeling in worship, centered by the three jewels and a conch supported on a lotus blossom, all in front of a grand palace. The upper register with the red-skinned Amitayus and blue-skinned Akshobhya Buddha.

The yellow silk brocade mounting is of Chinese origin and depicts an Imperial dragon with five claws, amid flames and scrolling clouds, chasing the flaming pearl. Brass handles.

Provenance: The collection of Oliver Watson, Oxford and London, United Kingdom, and thence by descent. Oliver Watson (1949–2023) was one of four sons of William Watson CBE FBA, a leading expert in Chinese and Japanese art. He joined the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Ceramics and Glass Department in 1979, specializing in Middle Eastern ceramics and later becoming the world’s leading authority on Islamic-period pottery. In 2002, he was seconded to Qatar to advise on the new Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), serving as its Chief Curator until 2005. He then became Keeper of Eastern Art at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, before returning as MIA’s first Director in 2008. In 2011, he joined the University of Oxford as the first I. M. Pei Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, retiring in 2016 but remaining affiliated with the Khalili Research Centre.
Condition: Good condition with old wear and traces of use. Creasing, folds, flaking and rubbing to pigment, some soiling. The mounting also with traces of wear and use.

Dimensions: Image size 32 x 24 cm, Size incl. mounting 53 x 34 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related thangka depicting Amitabha Buddha, offered at Christie’s New York in March 2019 and illustrated by Jeff Watt on Himalayan Art Resources, item number 24459.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 20 March 2024, lot 708
Price: USD 25,600 or approx. EUR 23,500 converted at the time of writing
Description: A thangka of Shakyamuni Buddha, Eastern Tibet, 19^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of painting with similar composition. Note the different size (71.1 x 25.8 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 12 September 2012, lot 572
Price: USD 8,125 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A thangka of Buddha, Tibeto-Chinese, 18^th century
Expert remark: Compare the related manner of painting with similar composition. Note the different size (73 x 53.6 cm) and earlier date.