The present painting depicts four of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava, representing important moments in the life story of Padmasambhava, where he took on different appearances to overcome obstacles. It was likely part of a group of two paintings, with the other painting depicting the other four manifestations. Typically, the manifestations are either represented all together in a single composition with a hierarchical composition, or as sets of eight with each manifestation as the central subject; the present painting follows neither of these traditions, with four of the manifestations arranged in a landscape format with interspersed vignettes possibly representing the life stories of those manifestations. In terms of composition, the present painting can be compared to a painting of four of the manifestations of Padmasambhava, carried out in the Palpung style, sold at Christie’s New York, 23 March 2022, lot 410; indeed the current work follows loosely an Eastern Tibetan style, although it appears more provincial in composition and style and is likely not associated with Palpung Monastery directly.
In the top left corner, in front of a white stupa, sits the monastic appearance, Pema Jungne, wearing a red pandita hat. In the middle of the composition, the two wrathful forms, Dorje Drolo at left rides a tiger and holds a phurba while Sengge Dradog stands on a prone figure at right. In the bottom left corner, the peaceful appearance of Padmasambhava known as Orgyen Dorje Chang, blue in color, is seated with his consort.