This appliquéd thanka was commissioned in 1793 by the Eighth Dalai Lama (1758-1804) to commemorate the death of his tutor, Yeshe Gyaltsen. Created for the Dalai Lama's personal use, it once hung in his private chapel in Lhasa. Tibet is well known for its large thankas, which can be painted, woven, embroidered, or appliquéd. The central figure is Maitreya, whose distinctive attributes are a golden body, a miniature stupa lodged in his hair, and a hand gesture that shows him turning the wheel of law. Known as the future Buddha, Maitreya will succeed the Buddha Shakyamuni on earth. Until that time, he resides in the heaven called Tushita, where he teaches the dharma. Above Maitreya is Tsong Khapa (1357-1419), the founder of the Yellow Sect, or Geluk (Gelupga), order of Buddhism.
Details
- Title: The Future Buddha Maitreya Flanked by the Eighth Dalai Lama and His Tutor
- Date: 1793-94
- Medium: Appliquéd silk
- Dimensions: image: 165 x 125 in. (419.1 x 317.5 cm); overall: 268 x 177 in. (680.7 x 449.6 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1975.01.T
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
In the Land of Snow: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-03-28 to 2014-08-25
The Universe: Creation, Constellations and the Cosmos
- Norton Simon Museum, 2001-02-04 to 2001-06-04
- Fisher, Robert E., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, fig. 15-15a pp. 58-59
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 135 pp. 13, 20, 194, 196-199, 263
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1122 p. 374
- Meher McArthur, Highlights of Buddhist Art at the Norton Simon Museum, 2018,
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