Another example of tracing from the same set of Karma Kagyu Teachers is Situ Panchen. In these two examples it is clear that the figures are essentially identical and the landscape on the left hand side as well, however another artist has created the landscape at the upper right of painting number #961.
The two Situ Panchen paintings are HAR #51885 and HAR #961
After an original Tibetan drawing and subsequent painting has been created it is quite common for other artists to come along and trace the original composition with the intention of copying the original. Here are two paintings of the 14th Karmpapa from a larger set depicting the lineage teachers of the Karma Kagyu Tradition. Both paintings are almost identical.
The two Karmapa paintings are HAR #51886 and HAR #54
Three interesting line drawings depicting Padmasambhava, Nyangral Nyima Ozer and Nyag Jnana Kumara. The central figures are surrounded by a host of deities and important historical figures along with noteworthy geographic locations. Each figure is accompanied by a Tibetan name inscription. See the secondary numbered image that accompanies each of the three drawings, identifying the figures in Romanized Tibetan transliteration and Romanized Sanskrit.
See other works in the database that have been numbered and greyscaled for easier identification.
A re-construction of a nine painting set depicting the Eight Great Bodhisattvas. All of these paintings are based on an earlier set said to have been painted by Konchog Pende of E (Central Tibet) in the mid to late 16th century. In 1732 Situ Panchen Chokyi Jungne asked an artist to trace a copy of the earlier works and then had a set painted based on the tracings. It is likely that all of the partial sets listed here are derived either from the set originating from Konchog Pende or from the copy made by Situ Panchen in the 18th century.
In the Tibetan artistic traditions this style of painting is called 'gya-lug' or Chinese style. The individual depictions of the bodhisattvas are non-iconic and likely based on the narrative stories of the bodhisattvas as found in the Mahayana Sutra literature along with the imagination and artistic tradition of the original artist that created the works.
The central painting of the set has not yet been identified and the specific central subject is unknown, however it is likely to be Amitabha or Shakyamuni Buddha. It is even possible that there was no central painting. In Tibetan art the Eight Bodhisattvas are more often depicted surrounding Amitabha Buddha placed in the setting of the Sukhavati Paradise. The collating of the various sets is only tentative, not definitive.
Seeing, Rather Than Looking At, Nepalese Art: The Figural Struts by Mary Shepherd Slusser, December 18, 2009. Asianart.com
This article is drawn from the important discoveries revealed in the author's forthcoming The Antiquity of Nepalese Wood Carving: A Reassessment, which is now in press. The article does not repeat the critical apparatus which can be found in the book, so the reader is urged to seek, if needed, further references and citations from the book. The Editor, Asianart.com
Images from the Lama Gongdu Cycle of Revealed Treasure 'Terma' teachings of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Although Nyingma in origin the paintings follow closely the 18th century artistic style of Palpung Monastery, a Karma Kagyu establisment founded by Situ Panchen. It could also be said that the paintings are done in a 'Kham' painting style (Kham-dri).
Sanggye Lingpa (1340-1396) discovered the Lama Gongdu, Middling Collection of Precepts, the Gathering of the Guru's Intention (Tibetan: ka du bar wa la ma gong pa du pa), in the great cave of Puri Rinchen Barwa in the year 1364.
There are eight partial sets of paintings, in the Palpung style, depicting the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas in the system of Abhayadattashri. From these eight sets totaling 88 paintings in all there are 15 known paintings that have survived. There are likely to be others from these sets in private collections or monastery collections in Tibet.
Seven unique paintings of Kalachakra from Shankh Monastery, Mongolia, courtesy of Don Croner. (See the Don Croner Quick Guide on the HAR website).
"Shankh Khiid, in Ovorkhangai Aimag about 200 miles west of Ulaan Baatar. The original ger monastery was founded nearby in 1647 by Zanabazar, the first Bogd Gegen of Mongolia. The monastery at this site dates from sometime later. The main temple at the monastery now contains seven Kalachakra depicting all 722 Kalachakra deities and many other depictions connected with the Kalachakra. These thangkas, which are the only ones of their kind in Mongolia, were hidden in a cave during the communist era by Lama Gombo (see below) and another local man. They were only brought out of hiding in the early 1990s." (Don Croner).
The Mystical Arts of Tibet: Featuring Personal Sacred Objects of the Dalai Lama.
Images from the exhibition catalog have been added to the HAR website. The cataloguing has begun and will take several weeks to complete.
"Art is an effort to formalize individual moments of wholeness, harmony, and radiance. The transcending effects of these moments, the energy which discloses the mystery of the universe in responding to our spiritual curiosity, uplift and satisfy the soul's need to question and to speak. The tenderness and the powerful presence of art create an inner sunlit circle in which one is quiet and elated. It is a moment of magic. This exhibit of the mystical art of Tibet is such a crystallized moment. In art and in spiritual life neutrality does not exist. Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. July 20 through December 29, 1996 and April 15 through June 7, 1998." (Oglethorpe University Museum).
This form of the deity represented as the central figure of the mandala painting does not follow the standard appearance for the deity Vajrakila. The subject of the painting is unusual because the first pair of hands of the central figure and for the ten principal surrounding retinue figures do not hold the typical peg 'kila' that Vajrakila is known for. However, the identification of the subject of the painting as Vajrakila is made based on all other iconographic details of the painting, mandala configuration, number of deities, and so fourth. Is there a form of Vajrakila that doesn't hold the peg 'kila'? Is this possibly a mandala of the Protection Wheel 'Raksha Chakra' of Vajrakila?
The image of the painting shown here is really quite exceptional. It may not be to everybody's taste. The style is very strongly influenced by the Newar aesthetics of the Kathmandu Valley. This style was also very popular at the Ngor Ewam Monastery of Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo. Ngorchen is depicted in the upper left corner below the image of the meditational deity Kalachakra.
This painting is both unique and special, not because it is so clear and easy to follow, but rather because it represents precisely the form of Mahakala, a rare form, described in the Vajrapanjara Tantra. It also includes so many other deities described in that same tantra, deities special to the Hevajra system of practice - such as White Prajnaparamita, Yellow Vajra Tara, Bhutadamara Vajrapani, etc.
Panjarnata, Vajra Mahakala (Tibetan: dor je nag po chen po, gur gyi gon po. English: the Great Vajra Black One, Lord of the Pavilion), special protector of the Hevajra cycle of teachings and adopted as the principal protector of the Sakya Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This form of Mahakala arises from the 18th chapter of the Vajrapanjara exclusive explanatory tantra. The Vajrapanajara Tantra is exclusive to the Hevajra Root Tantra whereas a tantra such as the Samputa is an explanatory tantra shared between the Hevajra and Chakrasamvara (and Yogini) root literature.
Panjarnata Masterworks | Panjarnata Main Page | Panjarnata Outline Page
The unique iconographic feature of Panjaranata Mahakala as described in the Vajrapanjara Tantra and according to the special Lamdre literature of the Sakya Tradition is that he has no ghandi stick laying horizontally across the forearms. In the other more common Sakya traditions of Panjara Mahakala, such as the Three Deity, Eight Deity etc., he is generally depicted with the ghandi 'stick of emanation.' There are other exceptions to this ghandi stick rule but they are rare and not commonly found in art. The two main exceptions are for the Nagarjuna lineage form and the Ngog lineage form of Panjarnata.
As with most things related to Tantric Buddhism, there is some confusion regarding the name of this Mahakala. Specifically, the name 'panjara' or 'panjarnata' is referring to deities described in the Vajrapanjara Tantra. Therefore this form of Mahakala is the Vajrapanjara or Panjara form. However, generally speaking, there are other descriptions of this same form of Mahakala found in other tantras such as the Twenty-five Chapter and Fifty Chapter Mahakala Tantras. So, how are we to understand this?
Now it comes down to appearance. If the Mahakala form has one face and two hands, squat, holding a curved knife and skullcup at the heart, and generally (but not always) holding a ghandi stick across the forearms, then it is said colloquially and in Tibetan literature that this is Panjaranata Mahakala, or the panjara form of Mahakala despite the original source text. It is likely that this came about because the Vajrapanjara Tantra and the Hevajra Tantra were so well known as early Tantric literary works and practice traditions. Because the panjara name was so well known and represented the one face, two armed, form of Mahakala, it is therefore most likely that the name panjara came to be applied to all forms of Mahakala that had this same appearance.
Alternate Names: Vajra Panjara, Vajra Panjarnata, Panjara, Panjarnata, Panjara Mahakala, Panjarnata Mahakala.
A number of short biographies have been added to the HAR website:
Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana
Sachen Kunga Nyingpo
Sonam Tsemo
Dragpa Gyaltsen
Drogmi Lotsawa
1st Karmapa, Dusum Kyenpa
Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro
Dolpopa
Kedrub Kyungpo Naljor
Gyurme Dechen
Namka Palzang
Tashi Paltseg
1st Dalai Lama
Also see the Religious Traditions Section for short explanations on the:
Nyingma Tradition
Kadam Tradition
Sakya Tradition
Kagyu (Marpa) Tradition
Shangpa Tradition
Zhije/Cho Tradition
Jonang Tradition
Gelug Tradition
'My Gallery' is a new feature added to the HAR site during the
extensive back-end changes made during the month of November. 'My Gallery' is a personal, visitor
generated, collection of images placed in a custom page titled 'My
Gallery' - meaning your gallery. To use this feature all that is required is that you sign-up using an e-mail address. After that, during times of browsing the
collection and when landing on an individual object and image page, select the
'Add to My Gallery' link adjacent to the image. This link will
automatically add the image to your personal 'My Gallery.' Add and remove images
as often as you like. Find the link to 'My Gallery' located in the left
hand navigation menu on most HAR pages. The HAR Team is still field
testing the 'My Gallery' and would be greatful for any comments or
suggestions regarding the new feature or other aspects of the HAR site.
Tibet/China Confluences
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - Sunday, May 23, 2010.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
"The Carpenter gallery is usually home to Chinese paintings, of which
the Museum of Fine Arts holds one of the world’s great collections. The
current exhibition is a departure. It does feature some Chinese
paintings, but it also includes works from Tibet. Since the fourteenth
century, Chinese and Tibetan art have engaged in a vigorous and
mutually sustaining dialogue, each side learning from and influencing
the other. "Tibet/China Confluences" explores that dialogue."
"Tibetan
paintings first appeared in China in large numbers during the
fourteenth century. Their vibrant colors, intense imagery, and bold
compositions attracted Chinese viewers, and Chinese painters began to
borrow aspects of Tibetan style. In turn, Tibetan painters emulated the
sensitive naturalism of the Chinese tradition—botanical paintings and
landscapes in particular. The resulting works are sometimes called
"Sino-Tibetan" or "Tibeto-Chinese," reflecting the fact that the
traditions are often so closely interwoven as to constitute new, hybrid
styles.
With support from the June N. and John C. Robinson Fund for Chinese Paintings in Honor of Marjorie C. Nordblom."
To learn more about the image above visit the MFA Boston Gallery on the HAR website and view image number #87211 for Panjarnata Mahakala. Also see the Mahakala Resource Page, Panjarnata Outline Page and a selection of Panjarnata Masterworks.
During the past month the HAR website has made a number of necessary technical changes both in how the site serves up information and in new features.
1). HAR has changed hosting servers and upgraded to a new and improved operating system. Some visitors to the site will notice a significant change in speed. Pages will load faster and it will be easier to move from page to page. This has been especially noticable with those visitors that use Apple computers.
2). The 'New on the Site' page, sometimes called 'News,' has been re-configured and slightly re-formatted. It functions the same as before and all of the old posts have been transferred over to appear seamless with the old/new page. Those of you sitting in the front seats and paying attention will remember from recent news updates why this change had to be made. The 'News' page will now be seen and accessible to many more people than it was before.
3). 'My Gallery' is a new feature added to the HAR site during the changes of the last month. 'My Gallery' is a personal, visitor generated, collection of images placed in a custom page titled 'My Gallery.' To use this feature all that is required is for the visitor to sign-up using an e-mail address. During periods of browsing the collection and when landing on an individual object page, select the 'Add to My Gallery' link adjacent to the image. This link will automatically add the image to your 'My Gallery.' Add and remove images as often as you like. A link to 'My Gallery' is located in the left hand navigation menu on most HAR pages. The HAR Team is still field testing this new feature and would be greatful for any comments or suggestions for improvement.
The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation has started a new website called the Treasury of Lives
with a mission to translate or paraphrase the biographies of the major
Tibetan Buddhist Teachers. It is still a work in progress. Most of the biographies from this site will likely not have any corresponding image other than possibly a block print depiction.
Where there is art, and it is catalogued on the HAR website, we will then copy the biography (if there isn't already a bio) from the Treasury of Lives site and add it to the HAR site, linked and illustrated. We have already copied a few of these bios over to the Himalayan Art Resources website and added corresponding links and illustrations.
New Biographies:
Drogmi Lotsawa Shakya Yeshe
Dzongsar Kyentse Jamyang Chokyi Lodro
Kedrub Kyungpo Naljor
Tashi Paltseg
Sangdag Namka Palzang
If you have access to North American Television please tune in to PBS, November 18th, 8:00 p.m., to watch the National Geographic Special, Secrets of Shangri-La.
In the summer of 2008, Jeff Watt, Director and Chief Curator of Himalayan Art Resources, spent a month in the Mustang Region of Nepal with a National Geographic sponsored film crew to investigate previously inaccessible caves filled with ancient artifacts, texts, and Buddhist and Bon cave murals. The cave murals were primarily Buddhist in origin and span the 14th to 16th centuries. 
In one cave complex called Mardzong, just south of the town of Lo Monthang, a stash of 14th and 15th century manuscripts were discovered in the upper chambers; after collating, amounting to thirty large Tibetan volumes. Predominantly belonging to the Bon religion, the remaining texts were Buddhist and many of them relating to the Sakya system of Lamdre (the Path Together with the Result).
Mustang is one of the last remaining Buddhist Kingdoms in the world, although also containing a smattering of Bon communities. Two of the main temples in the capital walled town of Lo Monthang, in Upper Mustang, are a treasure of murals in the tradition of the great Tibetan murals of Gyantse, Shalu and Sakya. For Sakya Art History, Lo Monthang is equally important for the study of mandalas and the Tantric systems of Maha Vairochana and Sarvavid Vairochana, along with the visual culture of other Yoga Tantra systems.
Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Sacred Caves
"Tune in to PBS November 18th, 8:00 p.m., to watch the National Geographic Special, Secrets of Shangri-La (http://www.pbs.org/secretsofshangrila/). To see a trailer for the program, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRLyJbt6wvs."
The Walters Art Museum presents the contemporary works of Amita Bhatt in dialog with tantric art from the John and Berthe Ford Collection.
The Walters Art Museum is proud to present selected works from the John and Berthe Ford collection of traditional Indian and Himalayan art in visual dialogue with contemporary paintings by India born artist, Amita Bhatt. Bhatt derives her imagery from Hindu and Buddhist Tantric sources infused with her understanding of Western philosophy. She explores classic themes of desire, conflict, struggle and transcendence as they manifest themselves in the present day. This thought provoking installation recognizes the power of visual expressions to articulate, to mobilize, to activate, and to provoke. Informed by tradition but speaking in the present, Bhatt's works explore fundamental struggles and eternal tensions common to all cultures. The show will run from October 31st through December 13th, 2009.
Walters Art Museum, 600 N Charles St.,
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Phone: 410-547-9000 Email: info@thewalters.org
Padmasambhava as Guru Dupung Zilnon (gu ru bdud dpung zil gnon) is possibly related to the Vajrakilaya practices of Jigme Lingpa called Purba Dupung Zilnon (phurba bdud dpung zil gnon). Note the unique form of the posture with the right hand holding a vajra extended outward to the side in a gesture of blessing above the heads of demons. The left hand holds a purba peg extended outward to the side and pointing downward subduing the demons below.
This extremely fine painting can be dated stylistically to the early 19th century and created in a Kham-dri style similar to the Khampa Gar painters of that time. It is not clear from the inscription on the back of the brocade (top), or the iconographic subject on the front, if the painting is a single composition or part of a related series (set) of paintings. Although one other painting with a different iconographic subject but the same stylistic elements, brush strokes and colour palette has been identified. 
