TIBET, 16TH CENTURY

This striking painting of the primordial buddha, Vajradhara, is carried out in a palette of bold primary colors and lavish gold appliqué. The central figure dominates the composition, his body a rich lapis blue in color and his multicolored robes decorated with foliate designs picked out in gold. Both the vajras held crossed against his chest and the luxurious jewelry that adorns his body, including the five-petaled crown, are applied with gold leaf. He sits on a lotus base that is supported and backed by an elaborate throne, the torana supported by elephants, lions, and human figures riding mythical beasts. At either side stand his attendant bodhisattvas Manjushri and Avalokiteshvara, their bodies elongated indirectly following the early Pala style of Buddhist art in Tibet. Surrounding the central figures in the sky and on the ground below is a group of lineage figures according to the Kagyu tradition, a mix of Indian mahasiddhas and Tibetan teachers. Nagarjuna and his disciple Aryadeva are prominently displayed in the top left corner, with Milarepa below them.