Situ Panchen as Patron of the Avadana Set, After Situ’s Set of The Wish-granting Vine Series of One Hundred and Eight Morality Tales

The scholar and artist Situ Panchen (1700–1774) is largely credited with reviving the Encampment style (Gardri) in his native region of Kham after it was nearly eclipsed in central Tibet due to civil war in the 17th century. This painting commemorates his role as a great patron of the arts.

One of the most widely acclaimed painting sets designed and commissioned by Situ Panchen is Kshemendra’s 108 Morality Tales (Avadanas) in 23 narrative paintings. Situ Panchen began designing his own set of this cycle in 1733, soon after hearing the news of the sudden passing of his teachers, the Twelfth Karmapa (1703–1732) and Eighth Zhamarpa (1695–1732) lamas. Situ set up a workshop for executing these paintings, and he himself sketched the compositions according to his own original ideas. He personally directed the entire process of the painting, from the initial coloring to the finishing details. To realize his vision, Situ trained master painters from Karsho (near his previous seat, the Karma Monastery) to do most of the painting. This painting would have been the last in a series, depicting Situ as patron instructing his team of artists in the bottom left-corner.

In 1736 Situ composed a long inscription, which was intended to appear in the large blank scroll held up by goddesses: I have followed the Chinese masters in color, in mood expressed, and form, and I have depicted lands, dress, palaces, and so forth as [I have] actually seen in India. Even though all the discriminating skill of Menthang—[both] New and Old—and the Khyen[ri] tradition followers, Jeugangpa and the Encampment masters are present here, I have made [these paintings] different in a hundred thousand [particulars of] style.

Situ names all the major Tibetan painting traditions (Menri, Khyenri, Jeugangpa, and Encampment) as represented in his work to suggest the all-encompassing nature of his artistic vision. The reference to things he had “actually seen in India” refers to his firsthand experiences with the culture of the Indian subcontinent during his first pilgrimage to Nepal in 1723.

Two painters sit in the bottom-left corner, brushes poised as if awaiting Situ’s instructions, with sketches of buddhas visible on their canvases.