RARE BLACK THANGKA. MAHAKALI IN FEMALE FORM.
Tibet. 18th century.

Colours and gold on black primed canvas; silk fabric as mounting. Among the 70 forms of the Mahakala there are also female ones; like the one here present Mahakali. Her six faces (centre plus four cardinal directions and a face to the top) and eight legs (for the eight! days of the week) show that she is attentive to all directions and every day and night for the protection of the Buddhist doctrine. The six hands are holding the skin of an elephant's foot; the blood-filled skull bowl; a vase with Amrita; a man's skin; a vajra and a bell. Her reference to Lhasa becomes clear through Lhamo; the patron saint of the city and the Dalai Lama. At the bottom she is riding on a donkey with an eye on the hindquarters; by which he can look into the past. Mounting size 131 x 71 cm; picture size 83 x 53cm. Condition A/B.

Provenance:
-From the collection of the Indologist Dr. Wolfgang Schumann; in 1961 acquired in Darjeeling.
-From the monastery Sera near Lhasa.
Art trade; Van Ham.