A RARE THANGKA OF DHARMATALA, ATTENDANT TO THE SIXTEEN GREAT ARHATS, 18TH CENTURY

Tibetan-Chinese. Gold and distemper on cloth. Finely painted to depict Mahasiddha seated on a throne, sheltered by a large umbrella above, one hand holding a fly whisk and the other clutching the base of a vase. Dressed in voluminous garments, the deity with a serene expression marked by sinuous eyes and pursed lips forming a gentle smile, all set within a verdant mountainous landscape, a tiger to his feet, and a diminutive image of red Amitabha Buddha in the scrolling clouds above.

All framed by richly painted clouds and shou roundels on the brown-ground border in imitation of a silk brocade frame.

Provenance: From a private estate in New England, United States.
Condition: Fine original condition, commensurate with age, showing expected wear, creasing, flaking and minor losses to pigments, the borders with few minor tears and small losses as well as rubbing to pigments particularly on the left side, but not affecting the image. The frame with minor traces of wear and use.

Dimensions: Image size 60 x 43 cm (excl. borders) and 83 x 57.5 cm (incl. borders), Size incl. frame 102 x 76.5 cm

Matted and framed behind glass. (2)

Dharmatala was an upasaka (layman attendant) of Chinese or Central Asian origin, who served the Sixteen Great Arhats. Also known as Dharmata, he always appears in relation to the Arhats, but is not one himself. He belongs to the Tibetan and Chinese narrative of the Sixteen Great Arhats. After the Buddha's parinirvana he consoled the lay followers and patrons of the Buddha assuring them the Dharma would be preserved and encouraging them to strive for the highest perfection. He carries a fly whisk and a water flask symbolizing his service to the arhats, and he has a tiger at his side to protect them from dangerous animals.

The present thangka once belonged to a set depicting Buddha Shakyamuni accompanied by the Sixteen Arhats, his original followers. The full group comprises twenty-five figures: the Buddha Shakyamuni, his two foremost disciples Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, the Sixteen Arhats, Dharmatala, the patron Hvashang, and the Four Guardian Kings Vaishravana, Virupaksha, Dritarashtra, and Virudhaka. As a late addition, Dharmatala was attached to the group of Arhats during the later Tang dynasty in the 9^th or 10^th century).

The set of paintings to which this work belongs was almost certainly based on an earlier set of Chinese Imperial workshop paintings dating from the Yongle period (1403-1425) depicting the same subject (see J. Simonet, Splendor of Yongle Painting: Portraits of Nine Luohan, 2002, p. 29, cat. no. 4), although the iconography is based on even earlier sutras. Later Tibetan artists likely created numerous sets of arhat paintings based on the Yongle period-paintings. One such set in the Imperial Palace Museum collection, dated to the 18^th century, is published on Himalayan Art Resources, for the painting depicting Dharmatala see item number 34888.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related earlier thangka depicting Dharmatala, dated to the 17^th century, from the collection of Shelley & Donald Rubin, accession number P1994.10.12, illustrated by Jeff Watt on Himalayan Art Resources, item number 158. Compare a related earlier thangka depicting Dharmatala, dated to the 17^th century, in the Rubin Museum of Art, accession number F1997.18.3, and illustrated by Jeff Watt on Himalayan Art Resources, item number 287. Compare a related Tibetan painting of the Buddhist elder Pindola Bharadvaja, dated 1700-1800, size 103.5 x 60.3 cm, in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, object number B61D2+.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 20 December 2011, lot 8426
Price: USD 110,500 or approx. EUR 136,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two Sino-Tibetan thangkas of Arhats, 18^th-19^th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of painting and subject. Note the larger size (101.5 x 59.5 cm).