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2. Miniature painting: Samdra set Eastern Tibet 19th Century Mineral Pigments on a wood ground 6 ¾” x 2” (7 x 5 cm) |
The complete Samdra or message set of unusual small size -the painting depicting Tibetan life in the exquisitely detailed style of Mughal influence in vogue in Tibet in the 18th-19th Centuries and forms the covers for a wealthy nobleman's message set. These were used by coating the blank side with yak butter and flour, and using a stylus, a message could be 'temporarily written'. The ‘pages’ were held together by a leather slide. One cover depicts a pagoda roofed temple within a verdant, rocky landscape with flower strewn trees. A wish-fulfilling jewels lie before it. A peasant approaches the central group – the ‘Four Friends’ symbolising mutual interdependence – the elephant, monkey, hare and crow A second monastic building lies beyond. On the other cover lies a temple nestled in a lush forested landscape, replete with water and fowl. It nestles in the lee of snow capped peaks in which a snow lion dances. To the right is the Old Man of Long Life Hva Shang who is seated on a soft hide spread over a rocky outcrop. A deer nestles at his feet while others frolic in the grassy slopes. A pair of cranes, themselves symbols of long life, sip at the offering bowl at his feet – his hand holding a bhumpa or vessel containing the elixir of life.hairline crack to the first cover. |