The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has many vibrant living artistic traditions famous for their masks, textiles, sculptures, and paintings.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has many vibrant living artistic traditions famous for their masks, textiles, sculptures, and paintings.
The earliest Buddhist temples in Bhutan are contemporaneous with the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet. Historically close links with Tibetan religious centers, especially from the mid-seventeenth century onward, have complicated distinguishing Bhutanese art from Tibetan art on stylistic grounds alone. Barring inscriptions, most Bhutanese objects are identified by the distinctive appearance of Bhutanese religious masters.
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Bhutan
19th century
Palden Lhamo is one of the primary protector deities of Tibetan Buddhism. Here she is shown in her “smoke-clad” form (Dusolma) riding a white-nosed donkey and surrounded by flames and billowing clouds of smoke. At the top center is the founder of the Bhutanese theocratic state, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel (1594–1651), clearly identifying this as a Bhutanese work.
The painting combines a black background with a small portion of blue-green landscape at the bottom of the canvas, creating the sense that one is looking beyond coastal rocks onto an ocean of blood under a black sky. The edges of clouds, smoke, flames, and rocks are highlighted in gold and form an irradiant setting for the black goddess.
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