This charming and vibrant painting depicts the four-armed manifestation of Avalokitesvara known as Shadakshari Lokeshvara, one of the most important deities of Tibetan Buddhism alongside Padmasambhava. Shadakshari Lokeshvara is closely associated with the pervasive six-syllable mantra: om mani padme hum. As the lord of the six realms of existence – hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demigods, and gods – he protects and guides the beings towards enlightenment.
The subjects and narratives within the present works are portrayed in a provincial style that is unusually expressionistic for paintings of this genre. It is possible that this painting was produced in local monasteries and sold to pilgrims and traders travelling through Tibet from India, Nepal, China and Mongolia. In Tibet, the marketplaces of Lhasa and Shigatse were often the primary sources for such paintings and devotional objects.
The complex narratives in the painting likely depict the life stories or associated legends of Shadakshari Lokeshvara. These narratives serve a didactic purpose, meant to assist in explaining religious stories to illiterate devotees or foreigners unable to read the sacred texts. To this end, Tibetan narrative art has developed its symbolism to an extraordinary degree, allowing certain scenes and motifs to effectively anchor their corresponding narratives in the mind of the worshipper.
The bright colour palette, attention to the depiction of nature and use of perspective continue the painting tradition from the eighteenth century. A nineteenth-century four-part set of thangkas from Central Tibet, including one depicting Shadakshari Lokeshvara is housed in the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Washington DC (Acc. No. S2013.29.3). A similar painting of the deity was sold at Christie’s New York on 28 September 2022, lot 9.