Lot 1243. A rare silk brocade thangka, Ming dynasty (1368-1644); 27 in. (68.6 cm.) x 20¼ in. (51.4 cm.). Estimate USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. Price realised USD 170,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2010.

Woven in blue, green, peach, ochre and gold threads depicting Buddha seated indhyanasana on a lotus throne and holding an alms bowl in his lap, surrounded by Vaisravana, the Yellow and Black Jambhalas, Avalokitesvara, Padmapani, Visvabhu, Kasyapa and the white and green Taras, mounted.

Compare an almost identical, though slightly larger, silk brocade thangkaof Maitreya illustrated by J. Vollmer, Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles from the Liao Through the Qing Dynasty, Myrna Myers, 2003, no. 65. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Including Property from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. 26 March 2010. New York, Rockefeller Plaza