Sarvavid Vairocana
distemper on cloth
Central Tibet
c. 13th century
148 x 116 cm – 58 ¼ x 45 ½ in

Sarvavid Vairocana (The Omniscient Illuminator) preaches to a chorus of celestial beings, including other Buddhas, Indian Buddhist monks, and male and female bodhisattvas. The enthroned, three-headed Buddha assumes a meditative posture (dhyanasana) and is adonred with lavish accouthrements including crown, earrings, necklaces, armlets, anklets and belt, and a lower garment of richly designed textiles. Texts which describe Vairocana as the supreme teacher (eg the Durgatiparishodhana Tantra, the Tattva Samgraha, and the Paramadi Tantra) were translated by RInchen Sangpo (958-1055), a leading figure in the second introduction of Buddhism to Tibet.

The composition observes principles of bilateral symmetry, with the main figure flanked by harmoniously arranged figures and motifs on either side of a central axis, as may bt eseen in other classical thirteenth century Tibetan paintings. The painting was created by an artist with remarkable skill and sensitivity, evident not only in the beautifully juxtaposed colour fields and harmonious composition but also in details such as the elegantly poised cloth ties on Vairocana’s shoulders, and the beautifully rendered lotus petals. It may be compared with several works, now in private collections, where the line, the shading of figures, and many elements of style are similarly rendered. The painting is unusually large for the period, and may have been part of a group of works depicting the five celestial Buddhas (tathagata), an important iconographic cycle within Esoteric Buddhism. Vairocana often presides at the centre, with the other four Buddhas marking the four cardinal points of the compass.

back