A PAUBHA OF SHRISTHIKANTHA LOKESHVARA (RATO MACCHENDRANATH) NEPAL, CIRCA 1800

A PAUBHA OF SHRISTHIKANTHA LOKESHVARA (RATO MACCHENDRANATH) NEPAL, CIRCA 1800 Distemper and gold on cloth. Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1855 Image: 28 x 25 1/3 in. (71 x 64.5 cm) Footnotes: 尼泊爾 約 1800 年 釋師羯吒洛迦濕婆（紅瑪誐仙陀羅那他）博巴 Published Hugo Kreijger, Kathmandu Valley Painting: The Jucker Collection, Boston, 1999, p. 76, no. 25. Provenance Dr. Ernst 'Mischa' and Angela Jucker Collection Sotheby's, New York, 28 March 2006, lot 29 The Richard C. Blum and Senator Dianne Feinstein Collection Depicted at the center of this Nepalese paubha is the conflated Hindu and Buddhist deity Shristhikantha Lokeshvara, or Rato Macchendranath, in Nepali. This obscure form of Avalokiteshvara is predominantly connected to the Newar culture of the Kathmandhu Valley. Origins of the deity derive from the Karandavyuha Sutra, which describes him as a universal god from which Hindu deities emanate. This Buddhist god surrounded by Hindu deities in a celestial orbit, shows a well-integrated visual synthesis between Buddhist and Hindu iconography in the Kathmandu Valley. Set within a carved torana echoing the regional wood carved designs, this painting highlights a blended religious fusion within local Kathmandu traditions. The prototypical iconographic form portrays the Buddhist deity with red color, standing with one face and two arms, as depicted on another Nepalese example from the same period (HAR 100038). He wears a snake skin wrapped around his neck, antelope skins over his left shoulder, another tied around his waist, along with a flared dhoti, in a similar manner to the deity's appearance in his Buddhist emanation as Avalokiteshvara Saharabhuja Ekadasamukha (Grewenig & Rist (eds), Buddha: 2000 years of Buddhist Art, 232 Masterpieces, Völklingen, 2016, p. 423, no. 184). The Five Tatagathas, Buddhist deities of the cardinal directions, surround the upper register. The fifth of this set, Buddha Amitabha, is conventionally located in effigy atop Lokeshvara's crown surmounted by Vajrasattva. Vajrapani and Manjushri sit within mountainous peaks, with Sudhana and Hayagriva below set in lush green hills. All these Buddhist deities are presented in sizable scale around Shristhikantha Lokeshvara. Of smaller size, but delicately rendered, are the Hindu gods all emanating from the Lokeshvara from a thin golden tether. Each arises from a different part of the deity's body as described in the text; Surya, the sun god and moon Chandra, the moon god arise from the eyes, Shiva from the forehead, Brahma from the shoulder, Vishnu from the heart, Sarasvati from the teeth, Vayu from the mouth, Bhudevi from the feet, and Varuna from the belly. All are set against a red backdrop including a multi-headed Shiva lingam along the lower left, in a fully integrated Buddhist and Hindu domain. The interwoven Hindu and Buddhist realms are set within regional visual traditions of the Kathmandu Valley. The 'rice-grain' pattern as well featured along the base of the shrine is a local design associated with the Khasa Mallas of western Nepal (Alsop, 'The Metal Sculpture of the Khasa Malla Kingdom' in Singer & Denwood (eds.), Tibetan Art, Towards a Definition of Style, 1997, pp. 68-79). The motif is often engraved along the hems of deities' robes, illustrated in this manner on a gilt Buddha from the 13th/14th century (Bonhams, Paris, 14 June 2022, lot 33). Furthermore, especially late Malla paintings, employ the articulation of architectural elements as a dominant feature, illustrated here with the torana and decorative columns. Another paubha of Ganesha from the 15th century (Lot 735), demonstrates this long architectural component, but the 18th century Vaishnavaite temple (Lot 738) illustrates the full integration of this feature into paubhas. This inventiveness of the Newar culture to include an architectural framework thus creates a context for these scenes. This creating a visual event of these rites, if furthered captured in the lower register by those participating in these rituals. Lot to be sold without reserve. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ¤ ¤ Without reserve For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing