Six Fine Old Tibetan Tsakli Paintings of Buddhist Bardo Deities 19th Century Tibet

Six Fine Old Tibetan Tsakli Paintings of Buddhist Bardo Deities dating from the 19th Century

This set of six beautiful old Tibetan Tsakli paintings depicts Buddhist Bardo Deities. These small artworks are very finely painted with polychrome pigments on thick handmade paper. The back of each painting has Tibetan script describing the deity, they date from the 19th Century and are in very good condition. They are mounted in a double row, three on top and three on the bottom with the museum-quality archival cards in dark blue, they are ready to put into a frame of your choice.

Buddhist teaching is not something learned from books, although they certainly play a part in reinforcing what one has already learned. The prime way of learning in Tibetan & Mongolian Buddhism is through one’s master’s words. A common sentiment in those lands is that, without a fully qualified master to transmit them, the Buddha’s teachings may well never have existed.

In learning the many complex rituals involving sometimes hundreds of deity forms, their names, iconography, secret syllables, and so on, a student must have a teacher who almost always transmits this information orally. As an aid to memory, especially where complex deities are to be learned, these small cards called Tsakli representing these myriad forms are shown by the master to the teacher, and the details, often found on the back of each card, are read aloud by the teacher with the intention that the student retains the details in their memory.

When a deity form has been fixed in the mind and one has embarked on the path of Buddhist tantra, at a certain stage one is expected to select a tutelary deity; that is, a deity that is core to one’s heart practice. This deity then becomes the focus of one being, and it is not unusual for both monks and laypeople to spend a great deal of money commissioning a large painting of such deities. These scroll paintings are known as thangkas ”

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist Art & Asian Art

Exhibited:  The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from The Todd Barlin Collection. Sydney Australia 2018. Catalogue written by Dr David Templeman,

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Two Superb Old Bhutan Buddhist Tsakli Paintings 19th Century Bhutan

Two Superb Old Large Bhutan Buddhist Tsakli Paintings 19th Century Bhutan

This pair of rare and large-size Tsakli Paintings are from Bhutan.  Finely painted with polychrome pigments on thick handmade paper. Dating from the 19th Century & in very good condition. In the 35 years of my collecting Tsakli, these are the only two fine examples I found and kept for my collection.  Here are their descriptions:

Left: A guardian figure belonging to a group of deities known as Tsen. These local deities haunt rocky outcrops
and many have been subjugated by the Buddhist Saint Padmasambhava and act now as protectors of particular sites,
temples, mountains, and so on. It is claimed that before their conversion, Tsen were the lost spirits of
monks who had broken their strict tantric vows. In their painted form, all Tsen are red-colored and it is their hand-held items that distinguish them.

Right: Garuda holding a snake, against whom he wages permanent war. The snake deities are said
to protect the ‘Perfection of Wisdom’ teachings in deep underground waterways and resent anyone
accessing them. Garuda in his war against the snakes is, in a manner of speaking, liberating wisdom
and is therefore considered a highly auspicious deity.

Both are mounted in a single row on a museum archival card in dark blue, they are ready to put into a frame of your choice.

Buddhist teaching is not something learned from books, although they certainly play a part in reinforcing what one has already learned. The prime way of learning in Tibetan & Mongolian Buddhism is through one’s master’s words. A common sentiment in those lands is that, without a fully qualified master to transmit them, the Buddha’s teachings may well never have existed.

In learning the many complex rituals involving sometimes hundreds of deity forms, their names, iconography, secret syllables, and so on, a student must have a teacher who almost always transmits this information orally. As an aid to memory, especially where complex deities are to be learned, these small cards called Tsakli representing these myriad forms are shown by the master to the teacher, and the details, often found on the back of each card, are read aloud by the teacher with the intention that the student retains the details in their memory.

When a deity form has been fixed in the mind and one has embarked on the path of Buddhist tantra, at a certain stage one is expected to select a tutelary deity; that is, a deity that is core to one’s heart practice. This deity then becomes the focus of one being, and it is not unusual for both monks and laypeople to spend a great deal of money commissioning a large painting of such deities. These scroll paintings are known as thangkas ”

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist Art & Asian Art

Exhibited and Published:  The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from The Todd Barlin Collection. Sydney Australia 2018. Catalogue written By David Templeman, Page 101 where shown on a full page.

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A Fine Collection of 50 Tibetan Buddhist Tsakli Painting Teaching Cards 19th Century Tibet

A Fine Collection of 50 Old Tibetan Buddhist Tsakli Painting Teaching Cards 19th Century Tibet

A Collection of 50 Tsakli Painted Buddhist Teaching Cards from Tibet. Dating from the 19th Century. Finely painted in polychrome pigments on paper each depicting different wrathful Bardo deities.  The reverse of each painting has Tibetan writing relating to the specific deity. The collection are mounted in museum-quality archival mounting on a dark blue board ready to put into a frame of your choice.

According to the Tibetan expert David Templeman writing in my exhibition catalogue: The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art in The Todd Barlin Collection 2018

” Buddhist teaching is not something learned from books, although they certainly play a part in reinforcing what one has already learned. The prime way of learning in Tibeto-Mongol Buddhism is through one’s master’s words. A common sentiment in those lands is that, without a fully qualified master to transmit them, the Buddha’s teachings may well never have existed.In learning the many complex rituals involving sometimes hundreds of deity forms, their names, iconography, secret syllables, and so on, a student must have a teacher who almost always transmits this information orally. As an aid to memory, especially where complex deities are to be learned, small cards representing these myriad forms are shown by the master to the teacher, and the details, often found on the back of each card, are read aloud by the teacher with the intention that the student retains the details in their memory. These small cards are called tsakli or tsakali. Due to their constant use, it is extremely rare to find any that pre-date the 17th century, although there do exist tsakli dating to the 13th century. When a deity form has been fixed in the mind and one has embarked on the path of Buddhist tantra,at a certain stage one is expected to select a tutelary deity; that is, a deity that is core to one’s heart practice. This deity then becomes the focus of one being, and it is not unusual for both monks and laypeople to spend a great deal of money commissioning a large painting of such deities. These scroll paintings are known as thangkas ”

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist Art & Asian Art

Exhibited and Published:  The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from The Todd Barlin Collection. Sydney Australia 2018. Catalogue written By David Templeman, Page 106 where 16 of the set are shown on a full page.

 

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Superb Large & Double Sided Tibetan Buddhist Tsakli Paintings 16th-17th Century Tibet

See more Fine Tsakli Painting in Tsakli Painting Gallery

A Collection of 31 Superb Large & Double Sided Tsakli Paintings from Tibet 16th-17th Century. 

This Collection of 31 Tsakli Paintings or Buddhist Teaching Cards is from Tibet. Dating from the 16th-17th Century, each card is a relatively large size at 18cm x 15cm other Tsakli Paintings that I have in my collection are mostly 12cm x 8cm in size.

These are the most beautiful set of Tsakli Paintings I have ever owned; the front of the paintings are finely painted in polychrome pigments depicting different Wrathful Deities & Bardo Deities but the back of each painting has a second remarkable painting used when teaching novice monks about the deities and their attributions.

Buddhist teaching is not something learned from books, although books certainly play a part in reinforcing what one has already learned. The prime way of learning in Tibetan & Mongolian Buddhism is through a master’s words. A common sentiment in those lands is that, without a fully qualified master to transmit them, the Buddha’s teachings may well never have existed.

In learning the many complex rituals involving sometimes hundreds of deity forms, their names, iconography, secret syllables, and so on, a student must have a teacher who almost always transmits this information orally. As an aid to memory, especially where complex deities are to be learned, small paintings called Tsakli representing these myriad forms are shown by the master to the students, and the details, often found on the back of each card, are read aloud by the teacher with the intention that the student retains the details in their memory.

Due to their constant use, it is extremely rare to find any that pre-date the 17th century, although there do exist Tsakli dating to the 13th century. When a deity form has been fixed in the mind and one has embarked on the path of Buddhist tantra, at a certain stage one is expected to select a tutelary deity; that is, a deity that is core to one’s heart practice. This deity then becomes the focus of one being, and it is not unusual for both monks and laypeople to spend a great deal of money commissioning a large painting of such deities. These scroll paintings are known as Thangkas

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist Art & Asian Art

Exhibited:  The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from The Todd Barlin Collection. Sydney Australia 2018. Catalogue written By Dr David Templeman

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Old Mongolian Buddhist Dancing Citipati Deities Mongolia

See more Fine Buddhist Art in Buddhist Art Gallery

A Superb Old Mongolian Buddhist Dancing Citipati Deities Mongolia

This finely carved and painted pair of dancing Citipati figures are from Mongolia. The two figures are carved separately as is the lotus form base & flaming background. They date from the early 20th century.  Here they are seen dancing on white conch shells to display their ultimate purity despite their inhabiting frightening graveyards. The male figure in blue holds a representation of death while his female counterpart holds a fresh shoot of a plant. symbolizing the life that springs from death

” The skeleton figures, representing worldly spirits, in Tibetan Cham dances are often seen as jesters or servants for other minor worldly gods such as Yama. These Cham dancing skeletons, like the other characters found in dance such as the deer and yak-headed servants of Yama, are generally only found in narrative vignettes if found at all in Tibetan paintings. The most common dance represented in painting is generally known descriptively as the Black Hat Dance and specifically understood to be the Vajrakilaya Cham dance. There will of course be images or random skeletons found in wrathful deity paintings or in the many depictions of the charnel grounds where the relevant Sanskrit and Tibetan texts explicitly state that skeletons are found in cemeteries”  Jeff Watt 4-2004  Himalayan Resources

Provenance: Mr Cito Cessna (1945-2009) Parkham Place Gallery Sydney Australia

The Todd Barlin Collection of Buddhist Art and Asian Arts

Exhibited & Published: The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from the Todd Barlin Collection 2018 by David Templeman Page 58

 

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A Superb Old Tibetan Gilt Bronze Figure of a Buddhist Lama 18th Century Tibet

See more Fine Buddhist Art in Buddhist Art Gallery

A Superb Old Tibetan Gilt Bronze Figure of a Buddhist Lama 18th Century Tibet

This Superb Gilt Bronze Figure is of an unknown Buddhist Lama from Tibet.  He is possibly from the Gelug tradition of Buddhism which is predominant in Mongolia.

Sitting in a crossed-leg posture his eyes suggest that he has only recently come out of a deep meditative state. His raised right hand is in the active teaching gesture.  The bottom of the figure is sealed and embossed with a double Dorje stamp.

Part of the beauty of this figure in the unchased and fine repoussé work especially the crisp folds of his robe which with their gilding suggests he was of the Gelug tradition whose monks wear robes of yellow.

If you know more about who the Lama is I would be very happy to hear from you.

Provenance: Mr. Cito Cessna (1945-2009) Parkham Place Gallery Sydney Australia

The Todd Barlin Collection of Buddhist Art and Asian Arts

Exhibited & Published: The Art of Compassion: Buddhist Art from the Todd Barlin Collection 2018 by David Templeman Page 58

 

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old Japanese Burl Wood Okimono or Scholars Object

A Fine Old Japanese Burl Wood Okimono or Scholars Object

This beautiful and mysterious object is a root-wood Okimomo from Japan and was likely made in the late 19th Century to early 20th Century.

An Okimono is a small, carved Japanese decorative object created specifically for display,

The Japanese aesthetic of using natural forms in wood with minimal additions by the artist are some of the most beautiful objects in my collection.  To me, it looks like a strange tree. No matter what side you look at there is always something new in the form.

This is a Wabi-Sabi Okimono that was probably used in tea ceremonies.

In Zen philosophy there are seven aesthetic principles for achieving Wabi-Sabi as listed below;

Fukinsei (不均斉): asymmetry, irregularity;

Kanso (簡素): simplicity;

Koko (考古): basic, weathered;

Shizen (自然): without pretense, natural;

Yugen (幽玄): subtly profound grace, not obvious;

Datsuzoku (脱俗): unbounded by convention, free;

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Japanese Art & Objects & Asian Art & Objects

 

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A Superb Old Philippines Stone Ancestor Figure Mindanao Island Philippines

A Superb Old Philippines Stone Ancestor Figure Mindanao Island Philippines

This beautifully carved small lime stone Ancestor Figure is from Mindanao Island in the Philippines. I bought this figure not knowing exactly where it was from but when I opened up the book on Philippines Art from The Musee Du Quai Branly Museum 2013 by Florentino Hornedo, I immediately knew what it was.  It is the finial of a Lime Stone Burial Jar from the 8-9th Century. See the book photos above and you can see how my little figure was originally part of the lid of jar.  This is an extremely rare and early example of an Ancestor Figure from the Philippines. The heart shaped head and simple and soft facial features give this little figure a peaceful look. The hands are held to the waist just below where it was part of the stone jar lid.

Many ancient limestone jars were discovered in burial caves in the Cotabatu region of southern Mindanao. Too small to hold a body, they were used for the secondary burial rites still widely practised in Southeast Asian communities. In these rites to honour the dead, the bones are exhumed and ritually cleaned, then laid to rest in superbly crafted vessels. The surfaces of the jars feature geometric and spiral patterns. The lids take human form,

REFERENCES

Afable, P., et alPhilippines: an Archipelago of Exchange, ACTES SUD/ Musee du Quai Branly, 2013.

Barados, D., Land of the Morning: Treasures of the Philippines, San Francisco Craft & Folk Museum, 1995.

Casal, G. et alThe People and Art of the Philippines, UCLA Museum of Cultural History, 1981.

Henkel, D., et alLand of the Morning: The Philippines and its People, Asian Civilisations Museum (Singapore), 2009.

Maxwell, R., Life, Death & Magic: 2000 Years of Southeast Asian Ancestral Art, National Gallery of Australia, 2010.

Provenance: Old UK Collection

The Todd Barlin Collection of Fine Asian Art & Oceanic Art

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A Fine Old Easter Island Ancestor Figure Polynesia

A Fine Old Easter Island Ancestor Figure Rapa Nui  Polynesia 

This little folk art figure was made in Easter Island or Rapa Nui in the early 20th century.  It was made & used as a trade object for visitors stopping at Easter Island.  It has none of the visual power of the old Easter Island Figures but it has some genuine charm. The figure standing male figure is not at all aggressive and it has a friendly & peaceful look.

Easter Island Rapa Nui is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people.

According to Eric Kjellgren from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in his essay he writes;

“Easter Island, situated in the southeast Pacific over 1,000 miles from the other islands of Eastern Polynesia and some 1,400 miles west of South America, is one of the most remote inhabited places in the world. Between 600 and 800 A.D., a group of colonists from an unidentified location in Eastern Polynesia settled on Easter Island after sailing in a southeasterly direction for many weeks. The name Easter Island originated with the European explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who first saw the island on Easter Sunday, 1722. Today, the Easter Islanders call themselves and their homeland Rapa Nui. Rapa Nui society was organized following the classic Polynesian pattern: an aristocracy composed of ranked hereditary chiefs (ariki) with political authority over the commoners, who constituted the majority of the population.

The art of Easter Island is distinctively Polynesian, much of it centering on the creation of religious images. The most recognizable art forms from Easter Island are its colossal stone figures, or moai, images of ancestral chiefs whose supernatural power protected the community. Between roughly 1100 and 1650, Rapa Nui carvers created some 900 of these sculptures, nearly all of which are still in situ.

One type of wooden image, the naturalistic male figure known as moai tangata, may depict family ancestors. Although their imagery is conventionalized, they may be individual portraits. What appears to be hair on the top of their heads is actually a low-relief carving depicting fishlike creatures with human heads and long flowing beards, possibly representing shark-human spirits (nuihi). In a number of respects, the moai tangata bear a close formal resemblance to the larger stone moai. With their enlarged heads, frontal orientation, prominent stomachs, and arms that extend down the sides of their bodies, both types of image embody a classically Polynesian conception of the human form “.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Nw Guinea & Polynesian Art

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A Fine Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Abelam People East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old Ancestor Figure Abelam People East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea From the Late Margaret Olley 1923- 2011

This finely sculptured Ancestor Figure is from the Abelam People in the Sepik Plains area  in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea

This beautiful carved and ochre-painted ceremonial figure is both standing on stylized birds and surmounted by two stylized Horn-bill Birds which are important totemic animals.

The Abelam people of the Prince Alexander Mountains north of the Sepik River practice perhaps the longest and most spectacular initiation cycle of any New Guinea people. Beginning in childhood, each Abelam male must pass through eight separate initiation rites over the course of twenty to thirty years, before he is a fully initiated man. Each successive ritual requires both a physical ordeal and the viewing of increasingly elaborate displays of sacred objects in specially constructed chambers within the men’s ceremonial house. This process continues until the final rites, in which the initiate is shown the largest and most sacred of all displays—the brilliantly painted figures and other images portraying the powerful clan spirits called nggwalndu and ancestor figures. The largest nggwalndu images are used during this final ritual. Although nggwalndu figures are impressive works of sculpture, to the Abelam, their power lies in the bright poly-chrome ochre paint applied to their surfaces. For the Abelam, paint is a magical substance that endows the figures with supernatural power and beauty. This figure was collected in the 1950’s and would date from that period or a bit earlier.

This ancestor figure was in the home of the late Margaret Olley 1923- 2011, she was a famous Australian Artist. I have been looking at her paintings to see if this Abelam figure is depicted in any of the still-life paintings she made of her home & studio.

Exhibited: Oceanic Arts Pacifica: Artworks from the Todd Barlin Collection at The Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre 2014 Sydney Australia

Published:Oceanic Arts Pacifica: Artworks from the Todd Barlin Collection The Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre 2014 Sydney Page 84

Provenance: The Margaret Olley Collection 1923 to 20211. Olley was one of the best known much loved Australian artists and a great art patron and mentor to young artists.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea & Oceanic Art and Artifacts.

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours. 

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.