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Two
tsakli cards representing
a
peaceful deity and a treasure vase
Pigments
on paper
with
a fine prayer inscription on the reverse
Tibet
- XV century
Height
: 12cm (4.7 in)
Width:
7cm (2.8 in)
The green bodied
peaceful deity wears gold jewellery, a white shirt and a red dhoti
with a blue scarf tied around the waist. Can be compared with peaceful
and wrathful deities painted on the bot
tom
border of a XIV century Vajrapani thankga from
the Rubin Museum of Art.
The treasure vase
is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. A silk cloth
is tied around the vase and a wish-granting tree, the roots of
which retain the water of longevity and create all manner of
treasures, emerge from the upper opening.
Tsakli are
initiation cards depicting deities and symbols associated with the
various rituals of Buddhism. The subjects depicted cover a vast
range from major deities and protectors to their various power
attributes and appropriate offerings.
Ref:
“The Sacred Art
of
Tibet
” by M. Rhie and R. Thurman –
Thames
and Hudson1996
“ The
Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs” by
Robert Beer –
Boston
1999
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