19Th Century Tibetan White Tara Painting On Wood Panel

Large and rare painting of the bodhisattva White Tara in tribhanga pose*. Tibet, circa 1880. The carved and lacquered frame decorated with flowers and shou symbols, their outlines delicately executed in raised pigments. Hanging wire to the back. Ink, gouache and gold on paper applied to wood panel. 100cm x 59.5cm (39 x 23.4 inches).

Delicate drawing and exceptional pigments come together alongside a generous use of gold in this bold and highly decorative painting. The paint surface has an unusually attractive aged patina while the colours retain incredible brightness and clarity.

Superbly executed; the deft, quick and confident penmanship used for the hands and face, the exquisite brush work that renders the animal pelt over her shoulder, the subtle colouring of the lotus plant she carries and the balance of colours over the whole composition are all masterful.

It is very unusual to find Tibetan painting presented in this way, the practice being more commonly reserved for creating thangkas on silk. With antique examples often being heavily worn and creased, it is lovely to see the subject so well preserved in paint.

Though painted wooden doors and furniture are fairly common it is unclear for what purpose this example was created. Also uncommon is the depiction of White Tara herself, having two eyes and not the seven** conventionally depicted. While standing representations of Tara are familiar in statuary, a fairly standardised seated pose is normally used when drawn.

Condition: Superb overall. General age related wear to paint surface and frame. Loss of colour to bottom left corner of the frame, possibly water damage. Also to the left corner, a small triangular shaped loss of the applied paper the image is painted on, 4cm across x 3cm up. Though the edges of this are slightly raised from the surface, the damage is generally stable and safe from further degradation. The outer sides of the frame were ebonised, and there is some localised loss of colour, the original wood colour and grain visible. Further images available here

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*Tribhanga: a standing pose developed in traditional Indian art, where the body bends in one direction at the knees, the other direction at the hips and then the other again at the shoulders and neck. 

**3 eyes on her face, 2 each in the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet