[INDOLOGY] Thangka query

[Valerie Roebuck]

Dear Colleagues

I wonder whether anyone can help with the subject matter and provenance of a Tibetan-style thangka? A friend of mine inherited it from his great-uncle, the Sinologist Michael Sullivan. Sullivan’s Chinese collection is now in the Ashmolean, but it appears that the museum wasn’t interested in this work. The silk mount was in very poor condition, but my friend has had it remounted in traditional style, and wishes to donate it to a Buddhist centre we’re both associated with. So naturally we would like to know what is going on.

The main figure is clearly Avalokiteśvara, and some of the other figures appear to be forms of Tārā. But there are a great many small subsidiary scenes featuring Buddhist monks and others. The monks’ robes, apparently featuring a black inner robe, don’t seem to belong to any of the current Tibetan orders.

I don’t think I can post photographs here, but perhaps there is a way I can provide a link to them?

Any help would be appreciated. The Buddhist centre in question is not a Tibetan one, but the plan is to hang the thangka in the library with a panel explaining the symbolism.

Many thanks -

Valerie J Roebuck
Manchester, UK