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Thangka of the Tutelary God Begtse with Retinue, Mongolia, 19th century


Thangka of the Tutelary God Begtse with Retinue, Mongolia, 19th century - Starožitnosti

Gelupga tradition, pigment and water-soluble binding agent on fabric, gold paint, c. 46.5 x 33 cm, mounted, framed behind glass, (Hr) We are grateful to Dipl. Ing. Uwe Niebuhr, BA MA for his assistance in cataloguing this work.

This thangka depicts the tutelary god Begtse (Tib. beg tse) with retinue. He belongs to Tibetan Buddhism. In this depiction, Begtse resides on a mountain in the middle of a lake of blood in the Marutse cemetery (Tib. ma ru rtse). To his left, he is accompanied by his sister Rigpe Lhamo Dongmarma (Tib. rig pa'i lha mo gdong dmar ma), and for this reason he is also known as Chamsing (Tib. lcam sring), meaning "brother and sister". Another appellation is "Red Lord of Life" (Tib. srog bdag dmar po).

Begtse was incorporated into the pantheon in the 11th century, during the founding phase of the Marpa Kagyu and Sakya traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, although its roots are probably Indian. This tutelary god was later adopted in Tsongkhapa’s Gelugpa School and became popular in Mongolia from the 17th century onwards.

The red, irascible Begtse is depicted surrounded by flames, on a lotus, on the top of Mount Marutse. His mouth is wide open, showing his sharp teeth. His three eyes stare straight ahead. His hair stands out vertically from his head. His stretched out right arm holds a flaming sword over his head, whilst also making the ‘gesture of banishing’ (Skt. tarjanīmudrā...Tib. sdig mdzub) With his left hand he brings a heart to his mouth. A spear with banner and a bow with arrow rest on his left elbow. Begtse is dressed in armour with a flowing red cloak. The tutelary god stands with one leg on a green horse, with the other leg on a corpse. To his left, the blue jewel-studded Dongmarma, with a red face surrounded by flames, rides a brown bear, brandishing a sword in her right hand and a ritual dagger in her left. To Begtse’s right is Lekhan Sodag Marpo (Tib. las mkhan srog bdag dmar po), the so-called "servant of the red master of life", riding a grey wolf. He wears a helmet and is dressed similarly to his master, holding a spear with a skewered corpse and a snare, with both hands making the ‘gesture of banishing’.

Above Begtse, the Tantrist master Padmasambhava is depicted on a cloud. Begtse is surrounded by a retinue of eight deities, known as the "Eight Butchers with Swinging Swords" (Tib. gri thogs bshan pa brgyad). These deities are associated with the main and secondary cardinal points. Each of them is depicted sitting or standing on a human corpse. They look wrathful, with a red body, and white corpse skin wrapped around their shoulders and hips. All eight deities brandish their characteristic sword.

Despite the partially faded areas around some deities, this thangka still preserves its dynamic structure. The fine brushstrokes outlining the details in the depiction of the deities are still able to convey the extremely impressive quality of the original painting. Taken together, these features create an interesting contrast, producing a powerful impact on the viewer.

Expert: Regina Herbst Regina Herbst
+43-1-515 60-356

regina.herbst@dorotheum.at

23.03.2020 - 14:37

Vyvolávací cena:
EUR 1.200,-

Thangka of the Tutelary God Begtse with Retinue, Mongolia, 19th century


Gelupga tradition, pigment and water-soluble binding agent on fabric, gold paint, c. 46.5 x 33 cm, mounted, framed behind glass, (Hr) We are grateful to Dipl. Ing. Uwe Niebuhr, BA MA for his assistance in cataloguing this work.

This thangka depicts the tutelary god Begtse (Tib. beg tse) with retinue. He belongs to Tibetan Buddhism. In this depiction, Begtse resides on a mountain in the middle of a lake of blood in the Marutse cemetery (Tib. ma ru rtse). To his left, he is accompanied by his sister Rigpe Lhamo Dongmarma (Tib. rig pa'i lha mo gdong dmar ma), and for this reason he is also known as Chamsing (Tib. lcam sring), meaning "brother and sister". Another appellation is "Red Lord of Life" (Tib. srog bdag dmar po).

Begtse was incorporated into the pantheon in the 11th century, during the founding phase of the Marpa Kagyu and Sakya traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, although its roots are probably Indian. This tutelary god was later adopted in Tsongkhapa’s Gelugpa School and became popular in Mongolia from the 17th century onwards.

The red, irascible Begtse is depicted surrounded by flames, on a lotus, on the top of Mount Marutse. His mouth is wide open, showing his sharp teeth. His three eyes stare straight ahead. His hair stands out vertically from his head. His stretched out right arm holds a flaming sword over his head, whilst also making the ‘gesture of banishing’ (Skt. tarjanīmudrā...Tib. sdig mdzub) With his left hand he brings a heart to his mouth. A spear with banner and a bow with arrow rest on his left elbow. Begtse is dressed in armour with a flowing red cloak. The tutelary god stands with one leg on a green horse, with the other leg on a corpse. To his left, the blue jewel-studded Dongmarma, with a red face surrounded by flames, rides a brown bear, brandishing a sword in her right hand and a ritual dagger in her left. To Begtse’s right is Lekhan Sodag Marpo (Tib. las mkhan srog bdag dmar po), the so-called "servant of the red master of life", riding a grey wolf. He wears a helmet and is dressed similarly to his master, holding a spear with a skewered corpse and a snare, with both hands making the ‘gesture of banishing’.

Above Begtse, the Tantrist master Padmasambhava is depicted on a cloud. Begtse is surrounded by a retinue of eight deities, known as the "Eight Butchers with Swinging Swords" (Tib. gri thogs bshan pa brgyad). These deities are associated with the main and secondary cardinal points. Each of them is depicted sitting or standing on a human corpse. They look wrathful, with a red body, and white corpse skin wrapped around their shoulders and hips. All eight deities brandish their characteristic sword.

Despite the partially faded areas around some deities, this thangka still preserves its dynamic structure. The fine brushstrokes outlining the details in the depiction of the deities are still able to convey the extremely impressive quality of the original painting. Taken together, these features create an interesting contrast, producing a powerful impact on the viewer.

Expert: Regina Herbst Regina Herbst
+43-1-515 60-356

regina.herbst@dorotheum.at


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Aukce: Starožitnosti
Typ aukce: Online aukce
Datum: 23.03.2020 - 14:37
Místo konání aukce: Wien | Palais Dorotheum
Prohlídka: online