Tibet
19th century
Tibet
19th century
This painting depicts Dralha Yesi Gyalpo, a protector of the founder of the Bon religion, Tonpa Shenrab, who is also depicted at the top of the work. As is typical for worldly protectors, he is clad as a Tibetan warrior carrying weapons and riding a horse.The largely unpainted canvas devoid of landscape allows the viewer to focus on the wonderful draftsmanship and brush control of the artist. Especially notable is the naturalistic handling of animals, such as the plump form of the large winged bird-shrew hybrid (“fox bat,” bya ma byi’u) at the bottom center or the articulation of each feather and curved neck of the peregrine falcon (bya khra) at the top right. The seam running down the middle of the canvas and the slightly course quality of the cotton suggests that the cloth used as a canvas for this painting was woven locally on back-strap loom. The width of such homespun is limited but its length is not, allowing for such a long format in this painting.
Prescribed practices that carry symbolic meaning and value within a specific tradition and are intended to attain a desired outcome. Rituals are usually done as part of a ceremony or regular routine.
A religious movement that originated in India around the fifth to seventh century with sacred writings and esoteric teachings and practices transmitted from teacher to student through initiation. These remain an important part of Hinduism and Buddhism today.
A kind of energy that can be used, individually and collectively, to effect change.
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
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