A THANGKA OF CATURBHUJA MAHAKALA, 18TH- 19TH CENTURY
十八至十九世紀四臂大黑天唐卡

Tibetan-Chinese. Finely painted on a black ground with the four-armed blue Mahakala seated on a lotus throne, wearing a tiger-skin dhoti, a white ribbon decorated with lotus scrolls around his shoulders, snakes as bangles and a necklace, and a five-skull crown. Holding in his principal hands a crescent knife and a skullcap, the other hands holding a vajra-handled sword and a trident.

Provenance: Schoettle Ostasiatica, Germany, c. 1990 (inventory stamp and number to back). Swiss private collection, acquired from the above, and thence by descent to the present owner. Koller, Zurich, 4 June 2019, lot 161, bought-in at an estimate of CHF 15,000-25,000, auction label to reverse.
Published: D. I. Lauf, Eine Ikonographie des tibetischen Buddhismus, Graz 1979, p. 115, illustrated on the cover.
Condition: Very good condition with some losses and creases, some with minor old touchups.

Dimensions: Size incl. frame 80 x 60.4 cm, Image size 60 x 42 cm

Close stylistic similarities between the present lot and the paintings in the Yuhuage, constructed between 1750 and c. 1776, suggest that this work is an imperial commission dating to the second half of the eighteenth century, made under the supervision of Rolpai Dorje, the master of esoteric Buddhist iconography.

The wrathful deity shows a fierce expression with an urna, furrowed brows, and the mouth wide open revealing sharp teeth, and is surrounded by a flaming mandorla below Chakrasamvara in yab-yum with his consort. Surrounding the lotus throne are four wrathful bird-headed deities holding skullcaps and crescent knives as well as Palden Lhamo riding a mule and holding a sword and skullcap, flanked by two further wrathful gods, the lion-headed Dakini Simhamukha and a two-armed Mahakala.

With a modern frame as well as a photograph showing the reverse of the thangka, with a signature and several collector’s inscriptions.

Auction result comparison: Compare with a related thangka of larger size and depicting the goddess Carcika and consort, dated to the Qianlong period, at Sotheby’s New York in Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art on 22 September 2020, lot 309, sold for USD 47,880. Compare also with a related thangka of considerably larger size at Christie’s New York in Indian & Southeast Asian Art on 1 April 2005, lot 84, sold for USD 31,200.

十八至十九世紀四臂大黑天唐卡
漢藏。黑地上精美彩繪，四臂的藍色大黑天坐在蓮花座上，身披虎皮，白色的緞帶上飾有蓮花紋，蛇紋手鐲和項鍊，還有骷髏頭冠 。他的手裏拿著月牙刀和一個頭骨杯，其他的手拿著金剛柄的劍和三叉戟。

來源：德國Schoettle Ostasiatica，1990年代(背部印章及標籤)。瑞士私人收藏，購於上述收藏，然後傳承至現任藏家。蘇黎世Koller拍賣行，2019年6月4日，lot 161, 估價CHF 15,000-25,000, 底座可見拍賣標簽。
出版：D. I. Lauf, Eine Ikonographie des tibetischen Buddhismus（藏傳佛教圖像學）, Graz 1979, p. 115, 封面。
品相：狀況非常好，有一些損失和摺痕，有的還有些舊時小修。

尺寸：縂80 x 60.4 厘米, 畫面60 x 42 厘米

現代裝裱，一張展示唐卡背面的照片，並帶有簽名和幾個藏家的題詞。

拍賣結果比較：一件相近但尺寸更大的乾隆時期Carcika及其佛母唐卡見紐約蘇富比 Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art 拍場2020年9月22日lot 309, 售價USD 47,880. ；另一件尺寸更大的唐卡見紐約佳士得 Indian & Southeast Asian Art 拍場2005年4月1日 lot 84, 售價USD 31,200.