TIBET, 18TH-19TH CENTURY

This finely rendered depiction of Dorje Setrap is an exemplary painting in the New Menri style of Central Tibet. The Menri style and tradition of Tibetan painting was founded by Mantangpa Manla Dondrub in the late fifteenth through the early sixteenth century and became the dominant painting tradition in central Tibet. The New Menri style innovated upon the Old Menri tradition by incorporating landscapes into the composition. Dorje Setrap, the main figure of the present work, is an important protector of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and considered by some as the wrathful emanation of Buddha Amitabha.
The origins of Setrap is somewhat nebulous; some traditions hold that Setrap was subjugated by Padmasambhava and appointed as a guardian of the Buddhist religion, others within Tibetan Buddhism believe he was brought to Tibet from India by Ngog Legpai Sherab. In accordance with the oral traditions of the Gelug school, as a proof of being a devoted protector of Buddhism, Setrap Protector sewed Padmasambhava’s shoe to his crown when he renewed his vow as a protector of Buddhism. Fearsome in appearance, red in color, Setrap is well known for accomplishing the deadliest and swiftest destruction of all inner, outer and secret obstacles. As stated in the Setrap Puja, the cudgel that Setrap holds with his right hand are made of “sandalwood from the forests of Malaya.” The left hand holds a lasso at the waist above a quiver of arrows and a bow in a leopard skin pouch. Seated atop a brown horse, he is completely surrounded by the brightly burning orange and red flames of wisdom fire.
Tsangpa Karpo is depicted below Dorje Setrap, and he is riding on a white horse with an upraised sword. Worldly protector deities represent troublesome spirits turned to the good of the Buddhist teachings. Tsangpa Karpo is associated with the Indian creator god Brahma, who is the power behind all the visible forces of nature. However, he is an indigenous Tibetan deity, one who embodies the powerful forces of the mountainous Tibetan landscape. When Tsangpa Karpo is invoked in ritual, he and his horse are compared to the dazzlingly white appearance of the clouds, sky, and mountains. His horse is “similar to a mighty snow-mountain, possessing the speed of clouds.” The color of his body is “similar to the white brilliancy produced by the gliding of hundred thousand moonbeams over a mountain of magical crystal.” Compare the iconography of the present work with another painting of Setrap in the Rubin Museum of Art, New York (acc. no.P1999.13.4).