292
A THANGKA DEPICTING DORJE DROLO, Tibet, 19th century
h. 77 cm x l. 55.5 cm
Dorje Drolo is depicted irate with red-brown skin, three eyes, two arms and two legs. He wears three embroidered silk robes symbolising his mastery over the three Buddhist vehicles. With his right hand he holds aloft a vajra, the adamantine thunderbolt.
Provenance: Private Italian collection.
Catalogue notes:
Dorje Drolo, i.e. angry vajra, or one of the 8 manifestations of the legendary Buddhist master Padmasambhava. Revered as the second Buddha in Tibetan Buddhist culture, it is believed that Padmasambhava manifested as the wrathful Dorje Drolo to subdue the local deities, binding them with an oath to protect his teachings.
十九世纪 西藏唐卡