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Thanka
Tibetan
18th century
Object Place: Tibet
Medium/Technique
Distemper on cotton
Dimensions
96.5 x 67 cm (38 x 26 3/8 in.); Legacy dimension: 85.3 x 54.2 cm
Credit Line
William Sturgis Bigelow Collection
Accession Number21.742
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAsia
ClassificationsPaintings
DescriptionPainting with no borders, possibly originally in thangka format.
The medicine Buddha (Manla) sits at the center on an elaborate throne decorated with snow lions, with his right hand in varada mudra and holding a branch of myrobalan (a medicinal plant with a fruit that resembles five slim lemons in a cluster) and his left hand in dhyana mudra and holding a bowl that contains a myrobalan fruit. He is surrounded by the other eight medicine Buddhas, above, seated in stylized clouds, each with a different skin color and hand gesture. He is flanked by Green Tara and White Tara. Below, seated amongst stylized mountains and trees, are nine Arhats, each holding a different attribute. Painted border of yellow and red. Nearly identical in style and layout to MFA 21.737.
The medicine Buddha (Manla) sits at the center on an elaborate throne decorated with snow lions, with his right hand in varada mudra and holding a branch of myrobalan (a medicinal plant with a fruit that resembles five slim lemons in a cluster) and his left hand in dhyana mudra and holding a bowl that contains a myrobalan fruit. He is surrounded by the other eight medicine Buddhas, above, seated in stylized clouds, each with a different skin color and hand gesture. He is flanked by Green Tara and White Tara. Below, seated amongst stylized mountains and trees, are nine Arhats, each holding a different attribute. Painted border of yellow and red. Nearly identical in style and layout to MFA 21.737.
Provenance1921, William Sturgis Bigelow, Boston, MA; 1921, gift of Bigelow to the MFA. (Accession Date: April 7, 1921)