The present painting of Bhavaviveka portrays the sixth-century Madhyamaka philosopher as the fourth pre-incarnation of the Panchen Lama lineage. Bhavaviveka is depicted seated atop an antelope hide, his face shown in a three-quarter view. Wearing a pandita hat that signifies his wide learning and authority within the monastery, he places his right hand in the gesture of teaching while addressing to a nude man on the right. He is seated in a wooden meditation pavilion amidst a Chinese-style blue-and-green landscape, incorporating elements from the landscape painting tradition of the imperial Ming dynasty. Below the antelope hide, a continuous narrative unfolds, showing the nude man taking refuge and Bhavaviveka cutting his hair beside a water basin, accompanied by a third figure, likely his disciple.
In the upper left corner of the painting, Nagarjuna is depicted seated atop a white lotus, framed by intricately knotted branches of the willow entwined with snakes. As the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism, Nagarjuna’s presence underscores the lineage of Bhavaviveka. In the upper right of the painting, the blue Chakrasamvara stands embracing his consort Vajrayogini. The portrayal of Chakrasamvara in the present painting is likely influenced by the Khyenri style, as indicated by the peach-shaped flames and the downward-facing lotus base.
In the lower right corner of the painting, the four-armed-form of Mahakala is depicted holding a fresh heart and a skull cup in his principal hands, and a sword and trident in his upper hands. Separated from the fray by an aureole of intensely burning flames, the four-armed Mahakala is primarily a protector deity associated with the Chakrasamvara cycle of tantric literature and practice.
This painting maintains its connection to the New Menri style of the seventeenth century while reflecting a pronounced shift in the eighteenth century towards brighter colours, landscapes with perspective and detailed depictions of trees, flowers and birds. While the colour palette and movement of this extended lineage painting visually deviate from the original block prints and paintings, the overall composition remains consistent. Compare the present work to an exceptionally well-executed and finely preserved painting of Bhavaviveka sold at Christie’s New York on 26 September 2023, lot 337, for $100,800. Another similar painting of Bhavaviveka is housed at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford (acc. no. EA1967.22).