Beginning in the fifteenth century there was a gradual shift in Tibetan art from an Indic-centered aesthetic toward a more Chinese-centered one. This shift reflects the disappearance of Buddhism in India and Tibet’s increasingly close cultural, economic, and political ties to its northeastern Mongolian and Chinese neighbors.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, newly emerging Tibetan painting styles in Central Tibet were named after famous indigenous masters and artistic centers rather than adopted traditions such as Eastern Indian, Kashmiri, or Nepalese. These new styles, including the Menri, Khyenri, and Gardri, were known for their integration of Chinese-inspired landscapes and corresponding shift to increasingly green and blue palettes of malachite and azurite.
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Central Tibet, possibly Densatil Monastery
mid-14th to mid-15th century
Pratisara is one of the Five Protector Goddesses (Pancha Raksha), personifications of five early Esoteric Buddhist spells (mantras) with protective powers. Of the five she is often considered the principal figure and protects from sin and illness.
This slender image bears typical characteristics of late fourteenth- and early fifteenth-century sculpture. The slim figure is slightly bent towards the left, and her multiple heads and arms are stacked in a way that makes them appear almost natural. The double- lotus base with its slim petals is typical for Nepalese craftsmanship of this period, both in Tibet and at the Chinese court.
In its elegance of form and ornamentation this bronze demonstrates the continuing importance of Nepalese craftsmanship in Tibet, as famously represented by the sculptures of Densatil in Tsang region, central Tibet, to which this sculpture has been attributed.
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