TIBET, XVEME SIECLE

This brilliant and vibrantly painted thangka portrays a six-armed and three-headed Buddhist female deity seated gracefully on a lotus base. Her principle hands are in dharmacakramudra, her secondary ones holding bow and arrow, and the upper pair showing vajra and lotus flower. Despite her attributes it has not been possible to identify her. She is wearing a long sari and shawl with billowing streamers. The deity is placed against a finely painted design of scrolling tendrils within a multi-coloured medallion. She is guarded by the four lokapalas placed outside the medallion. The upper register depicts Buddha Shakyamuni, the blue Vajradhara, the white Avalokiteshvara and the red-brown Manjushri. Below the medallion are placed a monk to one side with opposite offerings. The other nine deities most likely present the nine planets.
Some details like the modelling of the folds of her skirt, twisting patterns of her scarfs, the use of the colour rose, the drawing of her fingers might indicate a western Tibetan, Guge, origin. Most likely this powerful thangka was executed around the mid-fifteenth century.