Mandala of Shakya Simha, Tibet, Late 14th century. Distemper and gold highlights on cotton canvas, Distemper and gold highlights on cotton canvas, 84.2 by 74 cm. CARLTON ROCHELL ASIAN ART at TEFAF 2024. © 2024 TEFAF.

Provenance: Rossi & Rossi, London
European Private Collection, acquired in 1993.

The painting is one of numerous mandalas known from the same series that remains amongst the finest and most important Tibetan works of art from the second half of the fourteenth century. Each painting from the series is designed and painted with the same vibrant palette and exquisite attention to detail. While the overall format and dimension of the paintings is the same throughout the series, the iconography of the deity represented dictates the final composition of each work.
Here, Shakya Simha is seated on his crouching white snow-lion surrounded by an entourage of deities within the mandala palace. Buddhas within scrolling vine appear in the quadrants outside the palace. A Sakya lineage is depicted in the upper register, and deities and wealth gods in the lower register accompany the donor monk seated next to an offering table. This highly-important Tibetan painting retains its original blue silk fishtail-shaped mounts and resist-dyed silk veils.